Azerbaijan’s First Woman to Summit Everest Honored in New Documentary
Jerusalem, 16 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Baku (AZERTAC) – The presentation of the documentary film “I Made Zero One”, dedicated to the Azerbaijani female climber Vafa Musayeva, who climbed Everest, was held.
In 2025, Musayeva became the first Azerbaijani woman to summit Mount Everest.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov said that Vafa Musayeva showed everyone the power of Azerbaijani women, AZERTAC reports.
The Minister noted that the film was produced with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He noted that several films have already been made about athletes and people who are role models for young people.
Gayibov emphasized that Musayeva is an example for dozens and hundreds of young Azerbaijani women by conquering Mount Everest: “You will see in the film that this is not an easy task. But with this example, Vafa has become and will continue to be an example for dozens and hundreds of young Azerbaijani women.”
The Minister said that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has always supported such athletes and will continue to do so. He also recalled that Vafa Musayeva was awarded the “Progress” medal last year.
In the film, Musayeva spoke about her childhood memories, the years she spent in the village of Balyand in the Jabrayil region. She noted that she had shown a special interest in being in high places since childhood. The climber said that while other girls in the village were playing house, she loved to sit on the rocks and observe the surroundings and the village.
“In childhood, when all the children, in fact, girls like me, were playing with their dolls in the parts of the village closer to home, braiding their hair, I remember very well that I would sit on that rock and look at our village located among the mountains and hills. It was so nice for me to be at that height, because I could see everything from there,” she recalled.
Musayeva said that during a recent visit to Jabrayil and the village of Balyand, she climbed the rock she had sat on as a child again. She also talked about the difficulties of being a climber in the film. She noted that she felt freer and more liberated when she was in the mountains, and that heights had a special meaning for her.
The film also reflects the influence of the climber’s childhood character and interest in mountains on his later life.
After the film’s presentation, Chingiz Taghizade, a member of the Board of Directors of the Azerbaijan Mountaineering Federation, said that Musayeva’s ascent to the summit of Everest was not only her personal success, but also of great importance for Azerbaijani mountaineering and sports.
