Azerbaijan: Shafiga Zeynalova

Born in 1922 in Azerbaijan SSR (modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan), Safiga Zeynalova is considered the first professional woman architect in Azerbaijan. She held a diploma in architecture from the Moscow Institute of Architecture in Moscow, Russia, becoming the first Azerbaijani graduate from that institution. She was an architect for the Azerbaijan State Design Institute (c. 1950–1970), contributing to the design of various government and residential projects including the buildings that currently house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, and the Central Railway Station. Safiga Zeynalova died in 1979.