.jpg "A page from a rare copy of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine which is kept at the Malek Museum and Library")
TEHRAN – An exhibition of herbs rooted in Iranian Islamic traditional medicine opened at Tehran’s Malek Museum and Library yesterday to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the compilation of Iranian physician and philosopher Avicenna’s Kitab al-Qanun fi at-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine).
Over 30 species of herbs are introduced at the exhibit, besides their old images found in rare manuscripts by Avicenna along with their recent photos, Malek Museum and Library Managing Director Mojtaba Hosseini said in a press release on Saturday.
Each type of herb is presented live in a vase to better familiarize visitors with its appearance.
Samples of the dried herbs are also available at the exhibit.
In addition, a collection of old instruments used in Iranian herbal medicines are displayed on the side section.
Traditional beverages are also offered at the exhibit, while experts on herbal medicine are present during the ten-day exhibit to give advice to visitors.
The Malek Museum and Library is located in downtown Tehran at Mashq Square, which is home to several Qajar era monuments. The building and almost all its artifacts were donated by the Qajar era tradesman Hossein Malek, to the guardianship of the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) to be converted into a museum and library.
The museum and library was inaugurated in 1927. The library contains 19,000 rare manuscripts and 90,000 printed books. Among the manuscripts is a copy of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine.
The compilation millennium of the Canon of Medicine, which is among the most famous books in the history of medicine, has also been registered on UNESCO’s 2013 celebration list of anniversaries.
RM/YAW
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