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This year marks the 180th anniversary of Hasan Bey Zardabi, an outstanding thinker and public figure, who had incomparable services in the history of Azerbaijan's culture and left an indelible mark on the history of the cultural and scientific renaissance of people with his life and creativity.

The name of prominent journalist, scientist, pedagogue, educator-democrat Hasan Bey Zardabi is closely connected with the education, spiritual revival and evolution of ideas of our people.

The era in which he lived for the sake of serving his people faithfully, educating the people, and reviving the freedom movement Hasan Bey, who unreservedly exposed in his writings all their ugliness, injustice, feudal cruelty that crushed the working classes of the people and made them groan under oppression, left an indelible mark and legacy on the history of Azerbaijani culture with his rich literary heritage and activity.

The first Muslim graduate who graduated from Moscow University with a candidate's diploma, the first university-educated scientist and teacher of Azerbaijan, the first naturalist scientist of the Islamic world, the first Muslim teacher of the Baku Gymnasium, the founder of the Islamic charity movement not only in Azerbaijan, but in the entire Muslim East ("Jamiyeti-Kheyriyya"), 1873 The services of Hasan Bey Zardabi, a culture figure who performed the first theater performance in Azerbaijani language in Baku with his students, the founder of the Azerbaijani press, the initiator of the opening of the first girls' gymnasium in Azerbaijan, the organizer of the first congress of Azerbaijani teachers and the chairman of the congress, Hasan Bey Zardabi's services to the people are unforgettable.

Hasan Bey Zardabi thought that the theater had a significant role in educating the people and the young generation. Thus, in 1873, under his leadership, with the close participation of Najafbey Vazirov and Asgarbey Adygozelov, a performance of the comedy "Haji Gara" by the great playwright M.F. Akhundzade was shown in one of the rooms of the Baku Real Gymnasium. With this, the foundation of the National Theater of Azerbaijan was established.

Zardabi, realizing that it is impossible to achieve public education in the true sense only through charity societies and theater, looked for creative means that could open wide opportunities for educational work. As a result of this search, on July 22, 1875, after long struggles, the newspaper named "Akinci" was published and the foundation of the Azerbaijani National Press was established. This newspaper, which was published in the second half of the 19th century, played an important role in the struggle against illiteracy, vulgarity and ignorance, in the people's attainment of enlightenment and culture, in the spread of enlightenment ideas, and in the development of progressive intellectuals.

On the occasion of the 180th anniversary of Hasan Bey Zardabi, the founder of Azerbaijan's national press, a virtual exhibition called "Hasan Bey Zardabi" was prepared by the staff of the National Library. An official document, photos, works authored by Hasan Bey Zardabi, books and articles written about him are displayed in the virtual exhibition.

Those who want to get acquainted with the virtual exhibition can access the link http://anl.az/el/vsb/Hesen_Bey_Zerdabi/index.htm