Baku: The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), in cooperation with the Institute of Manuscripts named after Mahammad Fuzuli, affiliated with the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in Baku, organized a scientific seminar on the manuscripts of Abu al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi. The seminar featured the participation of a select group of researchers and specialists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Azerbaijan as part of efforts to enhance scientific cooperation between the two sides.

According to Saudi Press Agency, prior to the seminar, participants toured an exhibition of Arabic manuscripts organized by the institute in its exhibition hall. A copy of the manuscript of the book ‘Al-Ta?rif liman ?ajiza ?an al-Ta?lif’ by Abu al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi was presented to Darah and received by Darah CEO Turki bin Mohammed Al-Shuwaier, to be added to the foundation’s collections and made available to researchers and interested individuals through its scientific access programs.

The scientific discussions highlighted the life and contributions of Abu al-Qasim Khalaf bin Abbas Al-Zahrawi (936-1013), one of the leading figures of Islamic Andalusian civilization and a pioneer of surgery in the Middle Ages, who established scientific foundations for surgical practice whose influence endured for centuries.

Al-Zahrawi is renowned for his book ‘Al-Ta?rif liman ?ajiza ?an al-Ta?lif,’ considered a comprehensive medical encyclopedia covering topics in medicine and surgery and based on precise observation and practical experimentation. The work was translated into Latin and became a standard reference in European universities for several centuries.