Baku Museum of Miniature Books

Address: 67, 1-st Castle Lane, Icheri Sheher, Baku
Phone: (+994 12) 492-94-64
Working hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.
Closed: on Monday and Thursday

Old City in Baku, Azerbaijan, better known as Icheri Sheher, is famed for sites such as Shirvanshah Palace and Maiden Tower. Yet many tourists overlook one of Icheri Sheher’s best-kept secrets - Baku Museum of Miniature Books, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest private collection of miniature books in the world.

Baku Museum of Miniature Books was founded in 2002 by Zafira Salakhova, an avid collector of miniature books for almost 30 years. Salakhova tries to replenish her collection during her world travels and has also began publishing them on her own, including a miniature edition of the Azerbaijan Constitution which is on display in the museum.

In total, nearly 3000 unique books from around the world can be seen in this quirky gallery, including texts written in Russian, German, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Arabic, Turkish, Italian, English, French and Japanese. Look carefully and you will likely find a book or two from your home country. The collection includes original pieces and facsimiles, unique handwritten editions and reprinted materials which cover a wide variety of topics and formats. Visitors are not permitted to hold these tiny publications, but can nevertheless admire the skillful work which is displayed in each copy.

The tiniest exhibits at the museum are Japanese books measuring just 2x2 millimeters. Counted among the tiniest texts in the world, they can be read only with a magnifying glass. The oldest book in the museum is an 18^th-century miniature copy of the Koran. A special collection of books which were printed in the Soviet Union are also on display, including the USSR Constitution and books about Soviet leaders Stalin and Lenin. The international collection includes the works of prominent authors such as Shakespeare, Hemingway and Jack London.

Baku Museum of Miniature Books is a two-minute walk from Shirvanshah Palace. The museum has now expanded to include three additional branches which are located in the cities of Ganja, Nakhchivan and Sheki.