Professor Masmakhanim Gaziyeva, Doctor of Philological Sciences, has donated to the Presidential Library a bound collection of Sharq Gadini (Woman of the East), one of the most significant periodicals in the history of Azerbaijani journalism. The donation comprises issues published between 1927 and 1929.

The collection, consisting of two bound volumes, has been incorporated into the Presidential Library’s Rare Books Collection. The first volume includes all issues published in 1927 together with those issued from January to September 1928. The second volume contains the issues published from September to December 1928, as well as the complete set of issues for 1929.

This collection constitutes an important historical source documenting the period of alphabet transition in Azerbaijani written culture. Issues published between 1927 and September 1928 were printed in parallel using both the traditional Arabic script and the New Turkic Alphabet, while all subsequent issues appeared exclusively in the New Turkic Alphabet. This feature considerably enhances the collection's value as a primary source for research on the history of the Azerbaijani press, alphabet reform, and the evolution of the nation's written heritage.

Sharq Gadini was published as the official periodical of the Women’s Department of the Central Committee of the Azerbaijan Communist (Bolshevik) Party. Its inaugural issue appeared in Baku on 30 November 1923 in the Arabic script. Among the founders of the journal was the distinguished Azerbaijani educator and pedagogue Madina Giyasbeyli, while Ayna Sultanova served as its first editor-in-chief. The journal primarily sought to eradicate illiteracy, promote women’s education, and encourage women’s active participation in public and social life.

The journal regularly published articles and essays by Ayna Sultanova, Madina Giyasbeyli, Gulara Gadirbeyova (pen name: Koylu Gizi), Khadija Seyidzadeh, Shafiqa Afandizadeh, Mina Mirzayeva, and Hokuma Mammadova. These publications provide extensive factual material for studying intellectual history, the women's movement, and educational reform in Azerbaijan during the 1920s.

One of the prominent intellectuals who played a significant role in the development of Sharq Gadini was Gulara Gadirbeyova (Koylu Gizi), a distinguished Azerbaijani educator and public figure of the 1920s and 1930s. Her multifaceted work in editorial practice and public education made an important contribution to expanding educational opportunities for women and fostering their active participation in public life. Gadirbeyova became a victim of the political repressions of 1937. In subsequent decades, her life and scholarly legacy have been the subject of extensive research by Azerbaijani academics.

The acquisition of this collection significantly enriches the documentary resources of the Presidential Library and provides an important primary source for research on the history of Azerbaijani journalism, the women’s movement, educational traditions, alphabet reform, and the country’s periodical heritage. It also strengthens the source base available for future interdisciplinary research in these fields.

The Presidential Library expresses its sincere appreciation to Professor Masmakhanim Gaziyeva, Doctor of Philological Sciences and a descendant of Gulara Gadirbeyova, for this valuable donation, which contributes to the preservation of Azerbaijan’s documentary heritage, facilitates its integration into scholarly research, and further enriches the Library’s Rare Books Collection.