Heydar Aliyev Museum

The Heydar Aliyev Museum is situated in Nakhchivan city center, at Heydar Aliyev Prospekt 25. Its location on the main street ensures that it is easy to reach from the center of the city either by walking or with a short taxi ride. The sidewalks along the avenue are walkable, so you can easily add this stop to your city tour.

The museum was established by decree dated February 18, 1999, and began accepting visitors on May 10, 1999. General visiting hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On the days of official ceremonies and commemoration, the program is organized according to the schedule designated by the administration of the museum, and the flow of entrance is organized accordingly.

There is no fixed entrance fee. As in other state museums of Nakhchivan, most of the visitors are admitted free of charge. The conditions of corporate and official visits are determined beforehand with the museum administration.

The exhibition panels are in Azerbaijani Turkish, and museum staff provide lectures personally, especially to school and institutional groups. Since Turkish is also available, you won’t feel out of place. Groups requesting presentation in a different language should get in touch with the museum by telephone or email before visiting.

The museum has five main sections that will allow you to follow the life of Heydar Aliyev chronologically. These sections cover his family, childhood, and youth; his time in Nakhchivan and his presidency of the Supreme Assembly; the process of establishing an independent Azerbaijan; international relations and meetings with foreign leaders; and finally, personal belongings, gifts, and publications. The collection currently comprises more than 5,500 artifacts and has been enlarged since the opening of the museum.

The exhibition includes Aliyev’s family photographs, copies of decrees signed by him as Speaker of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan, copies of agreements with Turkey and Iran, letters coming from the public, signed documents. At the center of the hall, this white marble bust is the focal point to which this narrative links all sections. You will read and browse the panels carefully and feel both the personal story of the leader and the recent history of Azerbaijan in this very framework.

You may take pictures of the bust and panels during your visit without flash. For reasons of document protection, you must not use flash. As this is a museum, consequently a place of remembrance, some rules are essential: walk quietly, do not touch display cases, and wear clean, ironed clothes.

Since the exhibition line is single-track, and because the content is largely based on photographs and documents, families and school-age children will find the visit easy; the time to see all the sections is approximately 40–60 minutes. For visitors with reduced mobility, it is advisable to inquire about the ramps and interior layout of the museum in advance. The surroundings of the museum are on an axis where Nakhchivan’s cultural artery passes through. You can also add other cultural stops, like visiting the Carpet Museum, literary, and theater buildings to your itinerary on the same day.