Azerbaijani flag raised at US university

The three-color national flag of Azerbaijan is raised at the University of South Florida College of Engineering, the United States.

FOX 13 TV channel made a report about it, which notes that the reach of a beloved ritual at the University of South Florida has grown to a new part of the world. For the 152nd time, a nation's flag has been raised in the engineering school to honor a graduating student, AZERTAC reports.

For Vagif Asadov, walking into the lobby of the USF engineering building is not just about learning how to be a software engineer. It's about being a part of history.

The atrium with the 21-foot ceiling is covered in flags, and it includes the major world players – Japan, Korea, Germany, Britain and Brazil.

But, there are also ones that don't often get big headlines in this country –much like Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Nepal, Uganda and Kazakhstan.

"The goal here is to demonstrate that the college is a welcoming place," said Bernard Batson, the associate dean of engineering at USF.

But, one country that is not represented is where Asadov hails from. It's a land of rolling hills that straddles Eastern Europe and West Asia.

Azerbaijan has cities with modern architecture but a history that goes back to the Stone Age. Ten million people live there, who are almost exclusively Muslim.

"They have been through a lot throughout history," said Asadov. "We have had our ups and downs in history to get the flag up. We tried so hard to be an independent country, of course, we are right now."

But the 152nd flag was added to USF's collection, because Asadov and his fellow countryman, Vagif Mammadov, are both upperclassmen on track to graduate. It was time to put up the Azerbaijani flag, with its white crescent and eight-pointed star.