On February 9, 2012, the 571th anniversary of the great poet Alisher Navoi will be widely celebrated in Uzbekistan. While centuries have passed, the immortal works of the great poet and thinker remain modern to today.

The works of Navoi have been translated into many languages, both in our country and abroad. Each year, while celebrating the next birthday of the great poet and thinker, we are filled with pride that these days, the name of Alisher Navoi resounds in many corners of the globe. And this is not by accident. As all progressive humanity appreciates the multifaceted talent of the poet of the Medieval East and preserves his unique heritage, he is celebrated on this date.

His works were published and republished in prestigious publishing houses: in the series “Library of the Poet,” “Selected Poems of the East,” and the “Library of World Literature.” His name stands along such names as Homer and Dante, Rudaki and Ferdowsi, Nizami, Rustaveli, Saadi and Jami, Shakespeare and Balzac, Pushkin and Tolstoy. After gaining Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, millions of people around the world can now experience the great poet’s ancient classical heritage in all its splendor, which is the spiritual heritage of not only the Uzbek people, but of all mankind.

The 20-volume complete works of Alisher Navoi have been issued, and one of the Regions of Uzbekistan, the National Library, theaters, university, a research institute, and a number of streets and parks are named after him. The collection of selected works of the poet was published in ten volumes on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Independence.

The works of Alisher Navoi are published and printed in many countries around the world. International conferences devoted to the study of his artistic heritage are organized. Majestic monuments of Navoi were established in such cities as Tokyo, Moscow, and Baku.

Navoi\'s poetry expresses the highest and most vital senses, exploring the depths of people’s lives, and also speaks of his era, and the thoughts and aspirations of the people of his time. In his poems, peacefulness and harmony, and the freethinking person win over evil and ignorance. And now, having passed through the centuries, he is again close to us as a man who dreamt about the future happiness of the people.

Being of the author of numerous poems and prose works and scientific treatises, which fully reveal the spiritual life of the XV century Central Asia, he drew the attention of world community to his enlightened outlook on life and ongoing events. Living and working in those days, the enlightened leader and visionary Navoi worried about his people; he believed in their bright future, and the idea that society would transform, changing life for the better. Alisher Navoi glorified human duty, peace, and peaceful labor. He magnified fidelity in love and friendship, patriotism, and amity between the people of different cultures.

Navoi remains a great representative of not only the Uzbeks, but also the entire Turkic literature and history. The poet was a patriot, a true son of the Uzbek people, and his brilliant lines emanate from a fiery heart. Suffering – deeply lyrical and with philosophical meaning – became the credo for many of his readers.

The events of his poems take place in different countries and his heroes belong to various nations. All of his poems in their native language were gathered in a huge collection of “Treasury of thought.” The pinnacle of his poetic creation is the “Khamsa,” consisting of poems “Confusion of righteous,” “Layla and Majnun,” “Farhad and Shirin,” “Seven Planets,” “The Wall of Iskander,” which had a significant influence on the development of the Uzbek and other Turkic literature.

The great poet Alisher Navoi – humanist, thinker, statesman, and founder of the Uzbek literary language – has left the descendants a rich literary heritage, and remains a symbol of progress for the peoples of the world.

Information Agency \\\"Jahon\\\"