On June 22, 2024, a group of employees, students, and graduate students from Mingachevir State University (MSU) visited Hirkan National Park, located in the Lankaran region. The excursion, held within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), was attended by staff members from the Faculty of Engineering, the Departments of Physics and Ecology, and Economics, as well as students from the specialties of “Tourism Management,” “Ecological Engineering,” and “Ecology,” graduate students specializing in “Environmental Protection Methods and Restoration” and “Environmental Protection and Efficient Use of Natural Resources,” and active members of the university’s Student Youth Organization.

During the excursion, the MSU group visited the lake and forested areas of Hirkan National Park, guided by tour guide Mətin Mahmudov, where they learned about the park’s plant life, terrain, and tourism potential.

Representatives from the Regional Ecology and Natural Resources Department, Bəxtiyar Hüseynov and Vasif Səfərov, provided information about the history, regional distribution, and the significance of the park in Azerbaijan’s rich flora and fauna. They also highlighted the attention and care shown by national leader Heydar Aliyev toward the park. They emphasized the importance of such excursions in enhancing students’ knowledge and skills, considering them a commendable initiative. Bəxtiyar Hüseynov presented the MSU group with his books “Nature of Azerbaijan: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” and “The Nature and Ecology of Karabakh.”

The MSU staff expressed their gratitude for the attention and kind words from the representatives of the Department and the National Park.

Afterward, the MSU group visited the M. Aliyev Lankaran City History and Local Lore Museum. The museum’s director, Leyla Məcidova, a docent at Lankaran State University, discussed a local architectural monument from the 19th century. She provided information about the museum, located in the residence of Mirəhməd Khan, the son of Mirhəsən Khan, the 5th Khan of the Talysh Khanate. Məcidova explained that the building was commissioned by Mirəhməd Khan in honor of his wife, Tuğra khanum, who won first place in a beauty contest in the Caucasus, with architects invited from Europe to build the structure. The museum exhibits historical changes in Lankaran, local intellectuals, archaeological finds, and various creative works.

The excursion was warmly received by participants, and it was hoped that such events would continue in the future.