April 15 marks 40 years since the passing of prominent ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva. Her memory is respectfully honored by our people.
Axar.az reflects on certain aspects of academician Zarifa Aliyeva’s life and work on the occasion of her remembrance day:
Zarifa Aliyeva, born in the village of Shahtakhti in Nakhchivan, led a rich and meaningful life. Her father, the prominent public figure and statesman Aziz Aliyev, was a true role model and mentor for her. Zarifa khanum was the life partner, confidante, and close companion of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the founder and architect of modern independent Azerbaijan. The values and lessons she absorbed in her childhood home later guided her as the wife of the country’s top leader. She was a constant source of strength and moral support to him.
Academician Zarifa Aliyeva’s research and her major achievements as a scientist represent a special chapter in the history of medical science in Azerbaijan. After graduating from the Azerbaijan Medical Institute, she continued her education in Moscow at the Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians. She began her professional career in 1949 as a research fellow at the Azerbaijan Scientific Research Institute for the Advanced Training of Doctors and dedicated her entire life to the field of ophthalmology.
In the 1940s and 1950s, eye diseases—particularly trachoma—were widespread in Azerbaijan. It was essential to save people from this affliction and to conduct fundamental research on other urgent issues, such as occupational eye diseases, in order to develop effective treatment methods and preventive measures. In this way, life itself defined the topic of the young researcher’s scientific work, and she dedicated the early stage of her career to studying the treatment of trachoma. She traveled to regions where the disease was more common, identified its sources, gave lectures to ophthalmologists, and spoke with the local population.
Before long, Zarifa khanum achieved successful results in using synthomycin during the early stages of trachoma. As a culmination of her research, in 1959 she successfully defended her PhD thesis on “Treatment of Trachoma with Synthomycin in Combination with Other Therapy Methods.” The treatment method she proposed was widely adopted across the republic and played a key role in eliminating trachoma as a disease.
Among the pressing issues Zarifa khanum focused on as an ophthalmologist and scientist were diagnostics, treatment of glaucoma, and inflammation of the visual organs. She conducted in-depth research into an area of ophthalmology that had been little studied — occupational pathologies of the visual system. The relevance of this issue was not only due to the rapid development of the chemical and electronics industries, but also the need to study how many new chemical compounds affected the eyes. Zarifa khanum was a pioneer in this field. She was the first in the world to establish a research laboratory dedicated to the study of occupational eye diseases and laid the foundation for a new scientific discipline — occupational ophthalmology. Summarizing the initial results of her research, she wrote a doctoral dissertation titled “The Condition of the Visual System in Workers of Azerbaijan’s Chemical Industry.” In 1977, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences.
In recognition of her intense and productive scientific work, Zarifa Aliyeva was awarded the honorary title of “Honored Scientist” in 1980. Her large-scale research conducted at major industrial enterprises in the republic was reflected in valuable monographs such as Occupational Pathology of the Eye in Tire Production, Ophthalmology in Chronic Iodine Intoxication, and Prevention of Occupational Eye Diseases in the Iodine Industry. In 1981, for her successful research in the field of occupational eye diseases and her contributions to the development of ophthalmology, she was awarded the M.I. Averbakh Prize — the most prestigious award in ophthalmology in the former USSR — by the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. She was the first female scientist to receive this honor.
In 1983, Zarifa Aliyeva was elected a full member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. She was also the author of several textbooks and monographs, including: Acute Viral Conjunctivitis, Keratitis, Diseases of the Uveal Tract, Retina, Optic Nerve, and Cataracts, Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension, Injuries to the Visual Organ, Physiology and Histology of Tear Flow, Eye Diseases in Diabetes, Microsurgery of the Eye, and Adaptive and Protective Functions of the Iris Margin, among others. Her works such as Physiology of the Tear Ducts, Surgical Treatment of the Tear Ducts, and Protective Surgical Methods for Tear Ducts remain relevant today. She also studied iridodiagnostics and iridotherapy, preparing two monographs on the subject. Zarifa Aliyeva was the first in the world to write books specifically dedicated to iridodiagnostics.
One of Zarifa Aliyeva's thoughts on the medical profession is particularly striking: "A doctor is the most intimate person to a patient. They should never distance themselves from people, nor should they be someone who is self-centered and indifferent."
Academician Zarifa Aliyeva was also a prominent public figure. She was a member of the USSR Peace Defense Committee, deputy chairperson of the Azerbaijan Peace Defense Committee, and a member of the Board of the All-Union “Knowledge” Society and the Presidium of the All-Union Ophthalmologists' Scientific Society. In the book Zarifa and Heydar Aliyevs – Eternal Love by the People’s Writer Elmira Akhundova, it is written: “She never approached any of her numerous responsibilities in a formal way. She personally participated in discussions of issues and spared no knowledge, effort, or energy in ensuring their successful resolution.”
At the same time, she made sure that the professional side of her daily life never overshadowed her duties as a woman and mother. Sometimes, Zarifa khanum felt guilty for not being able to dedicate enough time to her family and children because of her scientific and public work.
Zarifa Aliyeva holds numerous honorary titles, academic degrees, and awards, each of which is a source of pride and honor. However, the most honorable title among them is that of Mother. Zarifa khanum is the mother of President Ilham Aliyev, the worthy successor of National Leader Heydar Aliyev's political path.
As her contemporaries described her, Zarifa khanum was an extraordinary mother, and her bond with her children was unique. It’s hard to find such a connection elsewhere. She viewed her children as a precious gift of light from the Almighty. Selfless and unwavering, she never spared herself in fulfilling her duties as a mother. There are times when a mother's love for her children is so deep that it leaves everyone in awe. Zarifa khanum was one of those mothers.
