An opening ceremony of the International Percussion Festival "Nagara-2015" has kicked off in the ancient Azerbaijani city of Shaki.

Jointly organized by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Shaki municipality and ALMUS Production company, the festival brings together famous musicians from Turkey, Iran and Uzbekistan along with Azerbaijani performers. Azerbaijan is represented by Natig rhythm group in the festival. Being the first of its kind in Azerbaijan and in the Caucasus, the festival will run until August 26.

The solemn opening ceremony took place in Green Theatre. Addressing the ceremony, head of the Shaki Executive Authority Elkhan Usubov said that the festival is aimed at preserving and promoting Azerbaijan's ancient art of music and history.

He noted that holding the festival in Shaki is no coincidence. “Shaki has already successfully hosted a number of international events and is known as a city of holidays, traditions and festivals. These festivals are of great importance in terms of promoting the rich culture of our people as well as the city's tourism potential,” he added.

The opening ceremony featured performance of Uzbekistan's Abbos, Iran's Lian, Turkey's Istanbul Harem and Azerbaijan's Natig rhythm groups.