Several editions have been particularly noteworthy in the history of the magazine. These include research about the discovery and
decipherment of the
Caucasian Albanian (
Old Udi alphabet) in
Mount Sinai, Egypt, by Dr. Zaza Aleksidze, Folklore of the Sufi Hamid Cemetery, and the relationship of
Maiden Tower to the Winter
Solstice. Also the 2006
Tangaroa Pacific Voyage: "Testing
Thor Heyerdahl's Theories about
Kon-Tiki 60 Years Later." Six issues were dedicated to
Azerbaijani literature; specifically, the Spring issues of 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, and 2011, and 2013. The literature of
Stalinist repressions in Azerbaijan had never been published in English before and is even difficult to find in the Azerbaijani language. The Winter 1994 edition featured artwork by Azerbaijani painter
Gayyur Yunus on the back cover.
Ali and Nino research The recent triple edition of the 2011 edition of the magazine (Vol. 15:2-4, 364 pages available in English and in Azerbaijani) deals with the mystery surrounding the identity of the author of the novel
Ali and Nino: A Love Story which appeared under the pseudonym
Kurban Said, first published in 1937 in German by the Austrian publishing house E.P. Tal. The issue is entitled "Who Wrote Azerbaijan's Most Famous Novel: Ali and Nino? The Business of Literature." According to Betty Blair, editor of
AI and author of the articles, research was carried out over a period of six years (2004–2010) examining documents and materials in 10 languages (Azerbaijani, Russian, English German, French, Italian, Turkish, Georgian, Persian and Swedish). The magazine staff also relied on archival materials in the Azerbaijan Republic State History Archives, Institute of Manuscripts (Baku), Georgian Centre for Manuscripts (Tbilisi), Ukrainian National Archives (Kyiv), ZMO (Center for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin) and the rare library resources of German, Italian and French journals from the 1930s that are available at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Getty Museum, Los Angeles. In the articles, Betty Blair concludes that (1) Azerbaijani writer
Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli (1887-1943) is the core author of
Ali and Nino as his personal life and works mirror the storyline and issues in the novel. (2) Lev Nussimbaum (Essad Bey) (1905-1942) served primarily as a broker and enhanced passages—especially related to folklore and legendary topics. (3) Essad Bey plagiarized passages from Georgian writer Grigol Robakidze (1881-1962), especially related to travels in Tiflis (Tbilisi) and Iran. (4) Austrian Baroness
Elfriede Ehrenfels (1894-1982) registered the pseudonym “Kurban Said” in her own name. ==References==