Mujiraddin Beylaqani, (1130- 1194), as his pseudonym shows, was born in one of the oldest cities of Azerbaijan, Beylaqan to an Azeri father to Habesha (Ethiopian) mother. He was the writer of one of the most famous poets of the 12th century, according to the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Poet was a pupil of Afzaladin Khaqani, sources indicate.
Starting from the 13th century, there was a gradual increase in the number of Karabakhi writers and poets writing in the native language including the poet Mujiraddin Beylaqani. Sources also indicate “The ideas in his work reflect the literary, cultural and socio-political environment of the renaissance era.”
The Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Addis Ababa, Elman Abdullayev stressed in his recent interview with The Ethiopian Herald that this product of both countries has mutual benefit. It would create a good opportunity for bringing this fact to the attention of the Azerbaijan and Ethiopian society and thereby foster cultural diplomacy.
The poet is a product of multiculturalism ambience that brings Azerbaijan and Ethiopia even closer, the Ambassador said. On the whole, the Karabakh literary atmosphere played a pioneering role in the Azerbaijani-Turkic culture and literature It played quite a role for inventiveness and originality of a series of facts. Furthermore, in the Karabakh literary atmosphere, as a fact in the literature, the first Karabakhi poet so far known was Davdag who lived and came up with creative works in the 7th century.
For our perusal the only available poem of his is in the elegy genre devoted to the murder of the Alban-Partav-Barda ruler. We have this poem in translation with a perfect text. The content of this text, its idea and artistic line and style, devoting of an eulogy, a poem to a commander like Javanshir proves that Davdag was a great and renowned master of his time. In latter stages, that is to say, prior to the existence of the town of Panahabad-Shusha, there was a considerable number of “Bardais”, “Beylaqanis”, “Ganjavis” dynasties.
This fact is indicated in the history of literature. They were popular scientists, philosophers and poets both in Azerbaijan and in the Islamic world. These are the only known facts from the 10th century. One of the greatest figures of the 12th century Azerbaijani poetry was Mujraddin Beylaqani of Karabakh whom Khosrov Dahlavi preferred to Khaqani Shirvani for his skills.
Zald ibn Huseyn ibn Omar Beylaqani also lived in the same period as Mujiraddin; as a Shariah philosopher he attained high scientific level, went to Damascus where he gained popularity as a leading person of the artistic thought and philosophy and penned a host of high-level literary works.
Mujiraddin Beylaqani, lived at the palace of the Shiruvan Shahs and Eldaniz (Ildegezid) and wrote odes to the rulers of that time. His literary legacy consists mainly of qasidas, ghazals and rubais. The poet spent his latter years in Tabriz. Giving poetic expression to his attitude toward Jesus, he contributed to inter-faith relations through his poetry, according to Ambassador Abdullayev.
The Ethiopian Herald, Sunday Edition May 12/2019
BY HAFTU GEBREZGABIHER
