Inexhaustible Source of Knowledge

Azerbaijan people have rich and ancient cultural traditions and have contri­buted extensively to the world brilliant masterpieces of artistic, philosophical and scientific thought. This cultural heritage is known not only in Azerbaijan, but also all over the world. Since antiquity, there were large libraries in Azerbaijan. The Institute of manuscripts of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences has a collection of 453 medical manuscripts, dating from the IX century. Seventy three manuscripts were written in Arabic, sixty ones – in Turkic (Azeri and Ottoman Turkish) and three thousand twenty ones - in Persian languages. In 29 July 2005 UNESCO officially included three medieval medical manuscripts from the Institute of Manuscripts of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences into the register of the Memory of the World Program which includes the most unique and irreplaceable written monuments of the humankind. The Certificate confirming this decision was presented to the Institute of Manuscripts by Dr. Matsuura, the head of UNESCO. One of them oldest copies of the second volume of “Canon of Medicine” (1030) by Ibn Sina, know in the West as Avicenna (980-1037). Second book is “Zakhira-I Nizamshahi” was written in the XIII century by the famous Central Asian author Zeynaddin Ibn Abu Ibrahim Jurjani. The manuscripts are unique and not found in other manuscripts deposits in the world. The third book is “al-Maqalatun Salasun” by Abulkasim Zakhravı. One of the rarest and most ancient manuscripts of this book in the World. Ancient manuscripts, being a unique invention of mankind, had an impact on the entire history in general and on medicine in particular.

A list of Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) of Azerbaijan

A list of 31 species of hawk moths from the territory of Azerbaijan is given, based on collection materials from the Institute of Zoology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Baku) and the Georgian National Museum (Tbilisi). Distribution maps for 27 species are provided.

Variability of morphometric characters and sexual dimorphism of Galeodes araneoides (Pallas, 1772) (Arachnida, Solifugae, Galeodidae) in Eastern Transcaucasia

Using 20 morphometric characteristics and 6 indices, the variability and sexual dimorphism of the camel-spider Galeodes araneoides (Pallas, 1772) from 10 regions of Azerbaijan were studied. The species and sex of the individuals were determined taking into account the key diagnostic features and comparison with the identified materials from the collection fund of the Institute of Zoology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. The variability of the general dimensions of the body and its individual parts (a total of 14 signs) was revealed. It was found that sexual dimorphism, manifested by 9 traits and 3 indices, is expressed to varying degrees in individuals from different regions: less pronounced in mid-mountainous and low-mountainous regions; more pronounced in foothill, plain and low-lying regions. The analysis of interpopulation variability of morphometric characters did not reveal clear geographical patterns: among representatives of both sexes, significant differences in the complex of characters were observed between individuals of samples located in relative proximity to each other, while individuals from distant samples were morphologically more similar. The manifestation of the variability of morphometric characters and sexual dimorphism is presumably less connected with the geographical features of the regions, and more connected with the existing ecological conditions. The variability of morphometric characters among individuals of the studied populations indicates a high ecological plasticity and a significant adaptive potential of the species.

Taxonomic Synopsis of Salsola Genus (Mil Plain, Azerbaijan)

In article the results of analysis conducted on bioecological features of Salsola species which are distributed in desert phytocoenosis of Mil plain of Kur-Aras lowland were given. Materials for research were plant herbaria which collected from researched area, as well as herbarium funds of Baku State University and Institute of Botany Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Morphological study of the flower parts of Salsola species was conducted with Carl Zeiss Stereo Discovery V4 stereomicroscope. It was determined that in researched area 10 species (Salsola australis R. Br., S. tragus L., S. paulsenii Litv., S. soda L., S. nitraria Pall., S. incanescens C. A. Mey., S. dendroides Pall., S. ericoides Bieb., S. nodulosa (Moq.) Iljin, S. foliosa (L.) Schrad.) of Salsola genus are distributed. Their morphology, ecology, systematical position, as well as economic significance were analyzed. It was also found that an anthropogenic impact in this area leads to desertification of landscapes.

IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE PROBLEMS IN AZERBAIJAN AND ITS DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

This article provides a summary of the history and actual state of agricultural science and production (including land reclamation, soil erosion and salinization, and much more, study that is one of the main types of scientific activity of the Institute erosion and irrigation of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences) in Azerbaijan. Keywords agriculture, environment, erosion, salinization, water balance deficit

Carpenter-moths (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from the collections of Institute of Zoology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Science

<p>Examining the Cossidae of Transcaucasia we have studied specimens of this family deposited in the collection of the Institute of Zoology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Science (Baku). The collection includes 10 species of 9 genera and 2 subfamilies collected in the middle of the 20th century on the territory of three countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Several species are indicated for the fauna of Azerbaijan for the first time.</p>