The richest written heritage of Uzbekistan, for various objective reasons, is now stored in various libraries around the world. One of such treasures is the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts under the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia). Among its rarities are Sogdian handwritten texts delivered to Russia by the expedition of P. K. Kozlov and V. I. Roborovsky from Tuyuk-Mazar (East Turkestan), as well as documents from a fortress on Mount Mug. Manuscripts from the Muslim period associated with Uzbekistan include Quranic texts and other theological works, works on history, cosmography and geography, biographical and genealogical essays, archival documents, including diplomatic correspondence and official reports, as well as fiction. In particular, the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts under the Russian Academy of Sciences contains 81 sheets of one of the earliest copies of the Quran, dating back to the 8th century, made by an unknown calligrapher. The manuscript was acquired by the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1936. Non-religious written monuments include Kutadgu Bilig – an ethical and didactic poem by Yusuf Khas-Hadjib Balasaguni, composed in 1069–1070 in the Turkic language. The work discusses general philosophical, social, legal, political and aesthetic problems and formulates such concepts as "state", "justice", "mind", "patience" and other. In general, the book-album Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences presents unique artistic examples created by talented poets, scholars, calligraphers and miniaturists who have been working on the ancient Uzbek land for many centuries, and are the pride of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts under the Russian Academy of Sciences.