Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev was born on May 10, 1923 in the city of Nakhchivan of the Azerbaijan Republic. After graduating from the Nakhchivan Pedagogical College in 1939, he entered the architectural faculty of the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute (now the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry), but the outbreak of World War II did not allow him to complete his education. In 1941-1944, Heydar Aliyev first worked as the head of the secret department of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and then as the head of the general department of the Council of People's Commissars of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In May 1944, he was sent to work in the state security agencies. In 1949-1950, after studying at the Training School of Leading Personnel of the USSR State Security Committee in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), in 1950 he was appointed head of the department of the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1957 he graduated from the correspondence department of the history faculty of the Azerbaijan State University (now Baku State University). In 1958, he was appointed chief of the counterintelligence department of the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR, and in 1964, deputy chairman of the KGB. In 1966, he successfully completed the management training courses of the KGB Higher School named after FE Dzerzhinsky in Moscow.

A thirty-five-year period in the history of Azerbaijan, which began in the late 1960s and is called the XXI century, is associated with the name of the great leader Heydar Aliyev.

All these years, he has borne the responsibility of Azerbaijan, brought it out of the hardships of history as a state and our people, created an independent country, which we call modern Azerbaijan, its realities today, a reliable foundation for a bright future. During these years, the revival in all spheres of socio-political, socio-economic and cultural life of the Azerbaijani people is associated with his name. The main ideological and political direction of Heydar Aliyev's philosophy of governance, which began in the late 1960s, was characterized by the expansion of all forms and means of national self-expression, the strengthening of national pride and the implementation of a strategy of rapid development. The ideology of Azerbaijanism, founded by Heydar Aliyev at that time, defined the place of Azerbaijan in the modern world, formed the basis of the idea of ​​our national statehood and created a solid foundation for the solidarity of Azerbaijanis around the world. In 1967, he was appointed chairman of the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, and in the same year he was promoted to the rank of major general. At the plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan held on July 14, 1969, Heydar Aliyev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. In 1976, Heydar Aliyev was nominated as a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and in December 1982, a member of the Politburo, was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers. During his tenure, Heydar Aliyev led the most important spheres of economic, social and cultural life of the USSR.  In connection with the bloody tragedy committed by Soviet troops in Baku on the night of January 19-20, 1990, Heydar Aliyev made a statement at the Azerbaijani representation in Moscow on January 21, demanding the punishment of the organizers and perpetrators of the crime against the Azerbaijani people. He left the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in July 1991 in protest of the hypocritical policy of the USSR leadership over the acute conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The restoration and enrichment of the traditions of statehood in Azerbaijan in the late 20th century, the strengthening of Azerbaijan's independence, its eternal, irreversible character, the confident progress of our country along the path of dynamic economic development, the rapid growth of its international prestige were made possible by Heydar Aliyev. Returning to Baku on July 20, 1990, Heydar Aliyev left for Nakhchivan two days later, and in the same year he was elected People's Deputy of the Azerbaijan SSR and People's Deputy of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On September 3, 1991, Heydar Aliyev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and, in accordance with the relevant legislation, was also Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He held this position until 1993. Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party at its founding conference in Nakhchivan on November 21, 1992. In May-June 1993, due to the threat of civil war and loss of independence in the country, the people of Azerbaijan demanded the return of Heydar Aliyev to power, and the then leadership of the country was forced to invite him to Baku. On June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and on June 24, he began to exercise the powers of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On October 3, 1993, as a result of a nationwide vote, Heydar Aliyev was elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He was re-elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 11, 1998, gaining 76.1 percent of the votes in the highly popular elections. Heydar Aliyev, who agreed to run in the October 15, 2003 presidential election, withdrew his candidacy in favor of Ilham Aliyev due to health problems. Heydar Aliyev, who agreed to run in the October 15, 2003 presidential election, withdrew his candidacy in favor of Ilham Aliyev due to health problems. The national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev died on December 12, 2003 at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States and was buried on December 15 in the Alley of Honors in Baku.

Heydar Aliyev was awarded the Order of Lenin of the former USSR five times, the Order of the Red Star and numerous medals, twice the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, as well as the highest awards of various countries, honorary titles of prestigious universities.

Heydar Aliyev devoted his whole life to the service of the people, always relied on the people in his activities, and appealed to them in the most difficult moments. The Azerbaijani people have never spared his support. The dear memory of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, wise leader and genius Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev will live forever in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people.