Video films

Oriental Masterpieces of Book Art

The film features the 15th – 16th century masterpieces of book art from the collection of the National Library of Russia,  containing works of the great Turkic/Persian poet Ali-Shir Nava'i. The library has three lifetime copies of his works, starting with the so-called Early Diwan - a collection of poems produced when the author was 25 years of age.  You can see magnificent manuscripts, created by outstanding artists and masters of calligraphy, and learn about the history of our library .

The film was released by the Uzbekistan Today news agency.

Tale of the Battle of Neva of 1240

The video film The Tale of the Battle of Neva of 1240 shows a fragment from the Laptev Volume (ОР РНБ. ОСРК. F.IV.233, fols. 903-915), one of volumes of the tremendous Illuminated Compiled Chronicle. The illustrated encyclopedia of Russian and world history was created in the 16th century on the orders of Ivan the Terrible. Every page features colourful miniatures. The Tale of the Battle of Neva of 1240 tells of defending the northwestern lands of Russia against Swedish armies by Prince Alexander Nevsky's troops.
  
The film is in Russian.

Tour of the Manuscripts Department

The film shows some precious items from collections of the National Library of Russia. You will see the 5th century Greek stone tablets, a Japanese woodblock manuscript, the 8th century Insular Gospel Book, 15th century medical book, a charter by Empress Catherine II to the boy from whom she was vaccinated against smallpox, music autographs of Mozart and Salieri, the Leningrad Codex (1010 A.D.), the oldest manuscript containing the entire Hebrew Bible etc.

The film is in Russian.