An Azerbaijani woman’s decades-long interest in miniature books has grown into a museum containing about 8,000 tiny publications from 76 countries. The Museum of Miniature Books stands in Baku’s Old City, close to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, where books small enough to resemble postage stamps or matchboxes are displayed behind glass. Founded by Zarifa Salakhova, the museum brings together religious texts, literary classics, rare editions and unusually small works from different parts of the world. What began as a personal collection has become a permanent public display devoted entirely to the unique art of miniature publishing.
How did Zarifa Salakhova build the miniature book museum
The collection began long before the museum opened. According to AzerbaijanTravel, Salakhova acquired an 1835 facsimile edition of Ivan Krylov’s Fables in Moscow in 1982. That purchase developed into a serious interest in miniature books, eventually leading her to gather editions from different countries over many years. AZERTAC (The Azerbaijan State News Agency) reports that she spent more than 30 years building the private collection before opening it to visitors in 2002.
Zarifa Salakhova, founder of the Museum of Miniature Books. Image Credit: Aurelia Nasirova/Visions of Azerbaijan
What can visitors find inside the Baku collection
The museum opened in 2002 in Icherisheher, the historic Old City of Baku. It is situated near the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, according to the Soyqirim Memorial Complex.Today, AzerbaijanTravel reports that around 8,000 miniature publications from 76 countries are held there. The books cover many subjects and genres, with some no larger than a matchbox or postage stamp. It notes that the largest books in the collection do not exceed 10 by 10 centimetres in size.The museum’s displays also show how varied miniature publishing can be. AZERTAC reports that visitors can find religious books, prayer books, works about art, fairy tales and books about cities and countries. Literary works by authors including Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Nikolai Gogol are also represented.
Image Credit: WANDERON
Which rare books give the collection its character
Some of the museum’s most striking items are old and exceptionally small editions. AZERTAC describes a 17th-century miniature Quran as the oldest book in the collection. Another notable item is A History of England, published in London in 1815. AZERTAC also records an edition of Yevgeniy Onegin published in St Petersburg in 1837.The size of some books is even more remarkable than their age. AzerbaijanTravel says the collection includes a book measuring just 2 by 2 millimetres, with a magnifying glass needed to see its text and illustrations. AZERTAC reports several micro-books between 2 and 10 millimetres and identifies Japanese and German examples among the rarest pieces.World Literature Today provides an even closer look at the tiny scale of the collection. Writer J. R. Patterson describes a Japanese edition of Flowers of the Four Seasons measuring three-quarters of a millimetre square, with 22 illustrated pages and its own magnifying glass.
How does the museum bring together books from different places
The collection is international not only in where its books were published but also in the languages and traditions they represent. AZERTAC says the museum contains books in Azerbaijani, Russian, English and German, alongside works from numerous countries.Azerbaijan.az(official state portal of the Republic of Azerbaijan) lists miniature books from Azerbaijan, Russia, the United States, Japan, England, France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Cuba, Switzerland and the former Soviet Union. The Soyqirim Memorial Complex also notes that books signed by well-known figures from former Soviet countries and other nations have entered the collection, along with 40 unique miniatures by American artists.World Literature Today describes displays arranged largely by country of publication. Its account includes familiar titles such as The Call of the Wild, Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings, as well as a 40-volume edition of Shakespeare’s complete works published in 1841.
Baku Museum of Miniature Books. Image Credit: Wanderon
Why did the collection become a world record holder
The museum’s scale eventually brought international recognition. AZERTAC reported in March 2022 that the Baku Museum of Miniature Books had held the Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest collection of miniature books since 2014.The collection has also continued to attract visitors. The Soyqirim Memorial Complex describes the museum as a popular destination for both local and foreign tourists. Salakhova’s long collecting effort brought together religious works, literature, history and art in a format where even a familiar book can become something entirely different.
