Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A book of the unique manuscript heritage of Uzbekistan in the collections of Azerbaijan is being prepared for publication.

One of the rarest manuscripts that will be included in the illustrated book-album of the series "Cultural heritage of Uzbekistan in the collections of the world" will be a copy of the second volume of "Al-Qanun fi-t-Tibb", which is now stored in Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

The manuscript is included in the Memory of the World register - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the protection of the world documentary heritage. Currently, the register includes about 300 documents. Among them, Uzbekistan, along with the mentioned copy of the work of the great healer Avicenna, includes the Koran of Usman and the collection of manuscripts of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after Al-Beruni.

Here is how Avicenna’s manuscript is described in the Memory of the World register:

The manuscript of the second volume of the work of the great scientist of the East Abu Ali Ibn Sina "Al-Kanun fit-tib" attracts the attention of readers with its antiquity and perfection. Copied in 1143. The size of the 190-page book is 24x15 cm, the size of the text is 18x11 cm. Each page has 18-20 lines. The text is written in black ink, the handwriting is clear, delicate, the headings of chapters, the names of medicinal plants are written in red ink.

What do we know about this amazing manuscript?

Volume II of the world-famous work of Abu Ali ibn Sino "The Canon of Medicine" is one of the earliest copies of the tome, which was rewritten in 1143. In this volume, Avicenna described various diseases and their symptoms, as well as methods of diagnosis and treatment.

“The manuscript, transcribed in Naskh handwriting in Baghdad 104 years after the death of the author, is one of the rarest in the world in its dating. Uzbek scientists, who compiled the scientific-critical text of this work by Ibn Sina in the 80s of the 20th century, took the second volume of the Baku manuscript as a basis,” said Azizaga Najanov, scientific secretary of the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

In the near future, everyone who is interested in the culture and art of Uzbekistan, its heritage will have a chance to see this rarest manuscript on the pages of the illustrated edition “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Azerbaijan”.

In addition to the manuscript of Abu Ali ibn Sina "Al-Kanun fi at-tibb" (II volume), the book will tell about 90 manuscripts of scientists, poets, cultural figures in Arabic, Persian and Uzbek languages. These are the works of Alisher Navoi, Bobur, Abu Ali ibn Sino, Imam al-Bukhari, Ulugbek, Jami.

Among the pearls of this heritage is a copy of the work "Vikaya ar-rivaya" by Amir Temur’s maternal grandfather Sadr ash-Sharia al-Awwal Ubaidallah ibn Mas’ud al-Mahbubi al-Bukhari, rewritten in 1512, a list of the work of Amir Temur’s grandson Ulugbek “Zij-i Guragani”, rewritten in 1688, a copy of the manuscript of the work “Babur-nama” by Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur Shah, the founder of the Baburid Empire, rewritten in the 17th century.

In addition to valuable manuscripts from the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, the publication will include unique exhibits from the National Museum of the History of Azerbaijan, the National Museum of Arts of Azerbaijan and the National Carpet Museum.