As part of the Creative Meeting on the Silk Road series, Egyptian poet, novelist, and translator Ashraf Aboul-Yazid will host a distinguished gathering of Azerbaijani cultural and literary figures on the morning of Thursday, October 30, 2025.
The Guest of Honor for the event is the renowned Azerbaijani scholar Dr. Seymur Rahim oglu Nasirov. The Azerbaijani scholar has recently been awarded Egypt’s First-Class Order of “Science and Arts” by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his exceptional contributions to scientific advancement. Chairman of Egypt’s Azerbaijani Diaspora and co-founder of the World Azerbaijani Scholars Association, Nasirov has educated thousands and published groundbreaking research on Azerbaijani-Arab intellectual heritage.
Seymur Rahim oglu Nasirov (born November 12, 1976, in Shuvi, Astara District) is an Azerbaijani scholar and researcher, recipient of Egypt’s highest First-Class Order of “Science and Arts,” and the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Egypt.
Nasirov graduated from Shuvi Village Secondary School in 1994 and the Baku Islamic University in 1998. He continued his studies at Al-Azhar University, earning a degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language in 2002. After four years of training at Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, he became the first scholar from post-Soviet countries authorized to issue religious rulings (fatwas). In 2011, he completed a master’s degree in Arabic Language and Literature at the American University in Cairo, focusing on the history of Arabic studies in Azerbaijan.
In 2020, he earned his PhD at the same university with a dissertation titled “The Efforts of Azerbaijani Scholars in the Service of Arabic Science.” His research was supervised by distinguished Al-Azhar scholars.
Nasirov is credited with identifying Arabic manuscripts related to Azerbaijani scholars and proving, through philological analysis, the mention of “Azerbaijan” and Baku’s oil in the Qur’an. He has also demonstrated, through Arab historical sources, that the Ayyubid dynasty was of Azerbaijani origin. Currently, he teaches the Azerbaijani language at Cairo University and leads cultural and educational projects promoting Azerbaijani heritage in Egypt and the Arab world.
Eldar Akhadov, poet, writer and translator will join the meeting. He translated the poetic collection “A Street in Cairo”; written by Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, into Russian He also organized a creative meeting for the Egyptian author, in the Russian House, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Eldar Akhadov. Born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan. Honorary member of the Writers’ Union of Azerbaijan. Member of the World Union of Azerbaijani Scientists Living Abroad. Chief Coordinator of the World Organization of Writers (WOW). Head of the Toponymic Commission of the Russian Geographical Society (founded in 1845) for the Krasnoyarsk region. Member of the Board of the Union of Writers of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk region. Author of 102 fiction and scientific books in 7 languages.
Joining the meeting will be Azerbaijani poet, short story writer, and translator Tarana Mammad, who was born on June 1, 1956, and graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Baku State University, specializing in Arabic translation. She taught Arabic at the same university for several years before serving for a long period in the Ministry of National Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan, from which she retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Her literary career began in 1978, initially with translations of poetry from Arabic and Persian. Later, I translated works of Egyptian writer Samir Abdulbaki, particularly his children’s literature, into Azerbaijani. Over the years, my short stories on various themes have been published in national journals and newspapers. I am a member of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union and the author of five books: (1) Kiss the Eyes and Leave, (2), Spring in Autumn, (3) Confession (Признание), (4), Trap and (5) Secret (novel). She has also translated writer Meykhosh Abdullah’s “Captive Woman” and several other works into Russian, as well as Ashraf Aboul-Yazid’s book “A Street in Cairo” from Arabic into Azerbaijani.
Also joining the Silk Road Creative Encounter is the distinguished Azerbaijani fiction writer Meykhosh Abdullah, whose collection of short stories has been translated into Arabic by Ashraf Aboul-Yazid under the title “The Sixth Floor.”
Meykhosh Abdullah was born on February 2, 1962, in the village of Khalilabad, Jalilabad District, Azerbaijan. Trained as an economist, he has devoted much of his life to literature and has been a member of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union since 2002. A recipient of the Presidential Award, Abdullah is the author of numerous books including Gazanfar Doctor, Restless Souls, Alagöz, The Devil’s Laughter, Anaconda Hunt, Captive Woman, and The Woman Who Knocked on the Door at Night.
His works have been translated into Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Kyrgyz, Moldovan, Tatar, and Turkmen. Among his international publications are: The Sixth Floor (Egypt and Poland), Alagöz (Iran, in Persian), Love Letters from the Madhouse (Turkey), The Captive Woman (Turkmenistan), Happiness Engraved in Stone (Kyrgyzstan), and a collection of short stories published in Moldova.
Among the distinguished guests of the Silk Road Creative Encounter is the Azerbaijani poet and translator Elmaya Jabbarova, whose poems have been featured in the Silk Road Anthology Series.
Elmaya Jabbarova was born in Azerbaijan and is a poet, writer, and translator. Since 2019, her poetry has appeared in numerous regional and international newspapers, magazines, books, web pages, and anthologies. She has received multiple awards, certificates, diplomas, and medals recognizing her literary contributions.
Elmaya currently serves as the Department Manager of Hekari Newspaper in Azerbaijan and is an Honorary Member of the Writers’ Unions of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. She is also an Honorary Member of the International Academy of Literature, Art, Culture and Social Sciences of Uzbekistan and a member of the World Association of People’s Creators.
An accomplished academic, she has been appointed Coordinator and Secretary General for Azerbaijan and Argentina. Her biography has been included in MultiArt–5 and MultiArt–20 (Argentina). A member of the World Poetic Fraternity, Elmaya Jabbarova has been honored as a Global Poet for 2023, 2024, and 2025, and in 2025, she was named World Poet Laureate from Azerbaijan, among 55 poets selected by Pentasi B Friendship Poetry.
The Creative Meeting on the Silk Road series, launched last month, opened with an inspiring session featuring six distinguished authors from China, India, Azerbaijan, Russia, Taiwan, and Nigeria, whose works were translated into Arabic by their host, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid.
The upcoming online gathering will begin at 10:00 a.m. Cairo Time (11:00 a.m. Baku Time), bringing together poets, novelists, and translators in a celebration of cross-cultural dialogue and literary friendship. The event continues the Silk Road tradition of connecting minds and voices across continents through art and storytelling.
A video recording of the meeting will be made available afterward, ensuring that the discussion and shared insights remain accessible to a wider audience. In bridging languages and cultures, the Creative Meeting on the Silk Road reaffirms its mission: to keep literature traveling—like the ancient caravans—carrying wisdom, beauty, and human connection from one world to another.
