On 25 April the students of Modern Educational Complex named in Honour of Heydar Aliyev performed “The Botanist Monsieur Jordan and the Sorcerer Dervish Mastali Shah” (in English), the play written by distinguished Azerbaijani playwright M. F. Akhundov. 

The story takes place in Garabagh in 1848. Lord Hatamkhan’s guest, a French botanist, Monsier Jordan  is going to take young Shahbaz to Paris to teach him French and science. However, his fiancee Sharafnisa and aunt Lady Shahrabanu are not happy with this idea and want to prevent Shahbaz from going to Paris.  

Despite being written in 1850, the problem of the play, i.e., juxtaposition of the new with the old still remains relevant.  This comedy promotes the ideas of Enlightenment and criticises ignorance and superstitions. 

The producers of the play, English teachers of the school, Irada Aliyeva and Khadija Jafarova point out that their aim was to familiarise the students with the classic form of the play and therefore, the changes they have made (Sharafnisa’s dream, Mastal Shah’s dance with evil spirits, etc.) serve to enhance the comical element and make the play more applealing for the young spectators.

By staging the well-loved play of our great playwright, our students showcased the value we attach to our literary heritage.   

The cast of the play: Koroghlu Rahimli (Lord Hatamkhan), Daniz Taghiyeva (Lady Shahrabanu), Jasmin Saramanova (Sharafnisa), Gabil Karimli (Shahbaz), Vagif Hajiyeva (Monsieur Jordan), Polad Farhad (Mastali Shah), Aida Zeynalova (Gulchohra), Nazakat Aliyeva (Hanpari), etc.