The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan oversees most public museums, art galleries, concert halls, theatres, libraries, cinemas, children’s music, arts, painting schools, cultural houses, and other public cultural institutions. The Cinema Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ARKA) manages public cinemas, film funds, and film production companies under the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is responsible for public cultural institutions, cultural and historical monuments, archaeological sites, and historical, cultural, architectural, artistic, and ethnographic reserves located within the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Other government and non-government agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan run a small fraction of public cultural institutions; for example, public libraries are also distributed between the State Oil Company (2), the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (3), and other state bodies (29). Public museums are also managed by the Ministry of Science and Education (2), the Ministry of Health (1), the Ministry of Agriculture (1), the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (1), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (1), State Oil Company (1) and other bodies (5). Public club enterprises are also distributed between the State Oil Company (1 library), the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (4), and other state bodies (20). The National Archive Fund manages archive institutions, totalling 78 in the country.
The State Service for Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, under the Ministry of Culture, manages most cultural and historical monuments, as well as archaeological monuments (70.34%), and historical, cultural, architectural, artistic, and ethnographic reserves (44.83%). The Administration of State Historical-Architectural Reserve “Icherisheher”, the Reserves Management Centre under the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Culture of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and the Shusha City State Reserve Department also manage a certain number of immovable cultural heritage sites.
In recent years, the Ministry of Culture has conducted targeted work to support the development of private cultural and creative industries (CCI), which has already brought tangible results. According to the ministry’s statistics, the number of enterprises engaged in CCI increased from 5,886 units in 2022 to 6,826 units in 2024, representing a 15.97% rise. The total number of business entities under the CCI increased from 21,022 in 2022 to 22,852 in 2024, representing an 8.71% rise. The fields of activities include publishing and printing, jewellery production, musical instrument manufacturing, computer game development, film and video production and distribution, television programming, news agency operations, video and sound recording activities, music publishing, radio programme broadcasting, television programme compilation and broadcasting, information agency activities, architecture, advertising agency operations, specialised design, photography, audio-visual services, educational activities in culture, performing arts and other artistic fields, theatre and concert hall operations, library and archive services, museum activities, and the protection of historical sites and buildings, among others.
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