Azerbaijan Presidential Complex
Islamic Museum Design
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation Museum is a unique and exclusive part of the Azerbaijan Presidential Complex based in its capital, Baku.
The Foundation Museum is not open to the public. It is exclusively reserved for VIPs, ambassadors, and foreign delegates when they meet with the First Lady and President of the Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva.
The Heydar Aliyev (HA) Foundation works tirelessly on numerous activities to improve the lives of the Azerbaijani people and the remarkable legacies of the former President and father of the country, Heydar Aliyev.
The original museum was situated on the second floor of this stately building, the former residence of Heydar Aliyev. This unusual and magnificent new museum would be housed on the third floor, allowing the original museum to operate uninterrupted for as long as possible.
Museum Design Concept
Having no museum staff as such, our company took on the additional roles of curator, researcher, and historian to unfold the rich stories of the country and the many achievements of its former president.
We had the honour of presenting it to the First Lady of a country, who was charming and highly knowledgeable about her country’s history and her father-in-law’s achievements before his death in December 2003.
We presented our initial research and ideas to her using large mood boards incorporating maps and individual key facts about each region. Our designs would highlight the diversity of the nine regions of Azerbaijan, including five climatic zones, which make this former Soviet Union country (the size of Wales) so exceptional. The First Lady was suitably impressed and approved to advance to the project’s next stage: producing a museum concept design.
The Islamic museum design concept was presented in a large-scale model, which allowed interested parties, who don’t understand drawings or do not trust CGI (commuter-generated images), to understand precisely what will be delivered once completed.
Azerbaijan Presidential Complex
Across the model’s floor was placed a one-meter grid with model people at scale, providing instant recognition of how the available space would be laid out.
The model was fitted with display showcases, graphics, carpets, and musical instruments detailing how the many rich stories and historical information would be delivered. One particular region, Nagorno-Karabakh, had to be dealt with particularly sensitively.
It was important to the First Lady that we explain to foreign dignitaries what transpired in the war with Armenian separatists when they committed human atrocities in that region. We suggested that the story be told factually but tempered with an attitude of forgiveness, never to be forgotten.
After some discussion and thought on the matter, it was agreed, and the design was met with her and the current Azerbaijani President’s backing.
Over the following months, we made many curatorial visits to numerous national museums and various places of interest to gather additional necessary information. Furthermore, many items from across the Azerbaijan region and Heydar Aliyev’s items were catalogued for use in the foundation’s museum.
The final museum successfully combines each region’s individuality with elegant layouts and designs, taking on board the unusual visitor demographic. Every detail is given the utmost attention so the final museum meets the highest international standards while being delivered using local craftsmen and suppliers.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation Museum is a window into the rich history and achievements of the Azerbaijan people and their former president. Special thanks must also go to Azpetrol and the executive director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Anar Alakbarov, for their assistance and support throughout the project.