Rock on, Azerbaijan!

The entrance to the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium earlier this month, two Chinese uniformed troops stood near me smiling and conversing about festivities underway (or so I imagined since I don't speak Chinese).

The occasion was the 101st anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and recognition of its Armed Forces Day.

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States Elin Suleymanov and his wife, Lala Abdurahimova (center to the right of the serviceman in white) listen to a speaker at the Azerbaijan celebration, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States Elin Suleymanov and his wife, Lala Abdurahimova (center) listen to a speaker at the Azerbaijan celebration, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The food didn't stop at the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A crowd of several hundred well-dressed guests came to celebrate Azerbaijan, dance, drink wine and beer, and eat delicious Azerbaijani delicacies which were served non-stop on buffet tables.

An orchestra from the capital, Baku, played national favorites (and some American selections, too) in the elegant neo-classical hall with its huge, lighted golden columns and stately tall ceiling.

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States Elin Suleymanov and his wife, Lala Abdurahimova, welcomed guests. Other speakers praised the nation and its anniversary.

When the orchestra played Y. M.C.A.! guests threw their hands in the air at the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019.  Also played, Frank Sinatra's My Way/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Although it was close to the end of the evening, the food replenishment continued non-stop at the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019, this jacket drew attention/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019. Dance with me, Henrietta?/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The entrance to the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Azerbaijan celebration at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, June 11, 2019/Photo by Patricia Leslie

I met citizens from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Spain, Finland (no Americans), and saw more military officers in dress uniform than expected, including the Chinese troops who answered my query about the Hong Kong protests with a mild smile and a shoulder shrug. (No English.)


Azerbaijan has 9.8 million people and covers 33.5 thousand square miles, surrounded by the Caspian Sea on the east, Russia and Georgia to the north, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south.  In 1919 its became the first Muslim majority nation to grant females the same rights as males, beating the U.S. by a year granting women the right to vote. 

Its website calls the nation "the West in the East" and "the East in the West" for it sits in Asia and Europe.

Let's go! 

patricialesli@gmail.com