 The coffin with the body of Heydar Aliyev Palace of the Republic | |
| Date | 15 December 2003 |
|---|---|
| Location | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Burial | Alley of Honor |
Heydar Aliyev, the former President of Azerbaijan, died on 12 December 2003 in the Cleveland Clinic (United States) at 10 am local time from heart failure [1] at the age of 80. On 14 December, his coffin was taken to Baku. [2]
On 13 December, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the establishment of the State Commission for the funeral of his father, Heydar. [3] The following list contains members of the commission: [4]
The farewell ceremony was held 15 December 2003 at the Palace of the Republic (nowadays Heydar Aliyev Palace) and was broadcast live on the main Azerbaijani TV channels. The funeral lasted seven hours and was attended by 250,000 people. [5] [6] At 9.00 local time, the farewell ceremony began, with a guard of honor from the National Guard of Azerbaijan being lined up at the coffin. A prayer service was also held at the local mosque. [7] After the official ceremony, a procession of many kilometres took place. After staying in Baku for only an hour and a half, Putin and Nazarbayev left the ceremonies early via Bina International Airport. [8] Heydar Aliyev was buried in the Alley of Honor next to his wife Zarifa Aliyeva. During the funeral, an artillery salute was given. [9] [10]
The ceremony was attended by past and present Azerbaijani politicians and a plethora of international dignitaries, which included the following: [11]
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev The First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva 
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin [12] 
The Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov [13] 
The President of Dagestan, Magomedali Magomedov [13] 
The Secretary General of CIS, Vladimir Rushallo 
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev [13] 
The President of Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev 
The President of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin 
The President of Georgia, Nino Burjanadze [13] The Former President of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze [14] Candidate in the 2004 Georgian presidential election, Mikheil Saakashvili [13] [15] [16] 
Chairman of the Government of Adjara, Aslan Abashidze [13] 
The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma [13] 
The President of Turkey, Ahmet Necdet Sezer [13] The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan [13] 
The Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, Erkin Khalilov [13] President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed condolences to Ilham Aliyev, saying "The people of Azerbaijan suffered a heavy loss". [8] On 13 December, President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev sent a telegram of condolences to Ilham Aliyev. [8] Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences in a phone call with President Ilham Aliyev. The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow opened its doors for people to sign the book of condolences. [17] Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow referred to Aliyev as "the wisest statesman has passed away, who devoted his whole life to the prosperity of the people of Azerbaijan and made a significant contribution to strengthening the once common state for our peoples." Condolences also came from former Russian Premier Yevgeny Primakov. [8] 
The United States Department of State sent condolences to Ilham Aliyev. [8] 
Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev was an Azerbaijani politician who served as the third president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to October 2003. Originally a high-ranking official in the KGB of the Azerbaijan SSR, serving for 28 years in Soviet state security organs (1941–1969), he led Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982 and held the post of First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1987.
The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", and "shall have the right of immunity [from prosecution]." The president rules through his executive office, the Presidential Administration, consisting of a group of secretaries and departmental ministers. Additionally, there is a Cabinet of Ministers regarding economic and social policy and a Security Council regarding foreign, military, and judicial matters.
Aliyev, Aliyeva for females, is a surname originating from the Caucasus and Central Asia. The surname is a slavicisation of the Arabic male given name Ali and literally means Ali's. It may refer to:
Mehriban Arif gizi Aliyeva is an Azerbaijani politician and physician who is the vice president and First Lady of Azerbaijan.
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The Heydar Aliyev Center is a 57,500 m2 (619,000 sq ft) building complex in Baku, Azerbaijan designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles. The center is named after Heydar Aliyev (1923–2003), the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982, and president of Azerbaijan Republic from October 1993 to October 2003.
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Heydar Aliyev Order is the supreme order of Azerbaijan. The order was ratified by legislation of Azerbaijan Republic by the Decree No. 896-IIQ on 22 April 2005. The Heydar Aliyev Order is given to the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan for special contributions to the prosperity, greatness and glory of Azerbaijan; for courage and bravery displayed in defense of the Motherland and state interests of the Azerbaijan Republic. The Order is given to the President of Azerbaijan according to status.
Leyla Aliyeva is the first daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
Zarifa Aziz gizi Aliyeva was an Azerbaijani ophthalmologist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and professor.
Heydar Aliyev's cult of personality, also known as Heydarism, became a significant part of Azerbaijani politics and society after he came to power in 1993 and continuing after his death in 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him. Aliyev, a former Soviet politburo member and the leader of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1987, became the President of Azerbaijan in 1993. He then began to carefully design an autocratic system, with heavy reliance on family and clan members, oil revenues and patronage.
Kamal Abdulla is an Azerbaijani scientist, national writer, public figure, professor. He is a state counselor of the 1st class.
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The Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev is an educational institution of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. In order to be admitted into the academy, candidates have to be between the ages of 17 and 19 and have completed secondary school education.
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