Yalli – a masterpiece of Azerbaijani folk dance, safeguarded by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage

Yalli tunes - widely known and popular in the country, were also used by prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibayli in the "Korogly" opera, legendary opera and music performer Muslim Magomayev in the "Nargiz" opera, as well as famous composer and conductor Soltan Hajibayov in the "Gulshan" ballet.

One of the best showcases of the Azerbaijani yalli dance was during the opening ceremony of the First European Games as President Ilham Aliyev declared the Games open following a spectacular celebration held in the capital city of Baku in June 2015.

As the firework display built in intensity, all of the performers gathered around the edge of the circular stage. They held hands and dance Yalli – the national dance of Azerbaijan. During the Yalli, the names of all the Ceremony volunteer performers appeared on the LED strip that run around a stadium balcony, scrolling along its entire length. Twenty thousand inflatable 'pomegranate seeds' cascaded over the audience. They were a token of love and good luck and a symbol of Azerbaijan. This joyous Yalli dance brought the Opening Ceremony to a celebratory end.

Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere) traditional group dances of Nakhchivan were included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding at the 13th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Port Louis, the Republic of Mauritius in 2018. The nomination documents was submitted jointly by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to UNESCO.