Nar Bayrami, the annual pomegranate festival in the Republic of Azerbaijan, celebrates the fruit’s centuries-old cultivation, culinary uses, and profound symbolic meaning, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
Held every October/November in Goychay region – Azerbaijan’s pomegranate heartland – the festival transforms the city into a vibrant showcase of local agriculture, crafts, music, dances, and community pride. This living tradition unites farmers, artisans, families, and visitors in honoring the pomegranate as a symbol of abundance, fertility, love, passion, and eternity.
The festival features over 60 varieties of Goychay pomegranates – from Veles and Shirin to Gyuleysha and Shishbaba – displayed in towering pyramids alongside pomegranate juice, narsharab sauce, jams, salads, and nardancha (pomegranate seed sauce). Cultural parades with traditional dances and music fill the streets, while competitions like juice-squeezing, pomegranate-eating contests, and basket-balancing races add festive energy. Pomegranate motifs appear in fashion shows, ceramics, carpets, wall hangings, poetry recitals, and storytelling, reflecting the fruit’s role in myths, decorative arts, and daily life across Azerbaijani society.
Nar Bayrami’s outstanding value lies in safeguarding rural knowledge of cultivation, harvesting techniques, and environmental adaptation, while fostering social cohesion and cultural exchange. Since 2006, the event has boosted Goychay’s economy through tourism, preserved agricultural heritage, and promoted intergenerational transmission. As a shared symbol across ECO regions, Nar Bayrami strengthens cultural diplomacy and celebrates the pomegranate’s journey from orchard to festival centerpiece.