The National Library of Russia hosted the exhibition "Works by Alisher Navoi in Manuscripts of the 15th - 19th centuries" within the framework of the Second International Congress "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan: the way to dialogue between peoples and countries".
The National Library of Russia keeps 25 manuscripts containing the works by Alisher Navoi (1441-1501). These are Kulliyat (collected works) and Diwans (collections of lyrical poems) and the Khamsa (Five), as well as small collections and copies of individual works such as the Majalis an-nafais (Collection of the Chosen), Wakfiyya (Testament), the Chihil hadith (40 hadiths) and others. In addition, there are Turkish and Persian dictionaries for the works by Navoi and a translation into Turkish of the stories of Iranian kings. The most significant from the point of view of the text are three lifetime copies, two of which, together with 11 manuscripts of the 16th century, are of considerable interest for the history of book art.
This is calligraphy of miniatures, decorative design (frontispieces, headpieces, unwans, and margins) and artistic bindings. The copies of the 19th century are for the most part good copies designed for an educated reader, but among them there are interesting examples of ornamental decoration.
