Uthman Qur'an
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The Uthman Qur'an (also referred to as "Osman's Koran") is a manuscripted copy of the Qur'an considered to be the oldest in the world and said to still have a stain of blood from the assassination of the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan.
It is currently held in the library of the Telyashayakh Mosque, in the old "Hast-Imam" area of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, close to the grave of Kaffel-Shashi, the 10th Century Islamic scholar.
Uthman was the Caliph who compiled the Qur'an into a written, as opposed to oral, record. Prior to Uthman, the Qur'an was mainly recited by Hafiz(plural; those who know Quran by heart), with the text written on varying pieces of parchment and Animal Skins, however at one battle Hafiz were clearly being tracked down and killed so a compiled written record was required. Five of these original Qur'ans were sent to the major Muslim Cities of the Era, with Uthman keeping one for his own area in present Day Saudi Arabia. The only other surviving copy said to be held in Topkapı Palace, in Turkey.
Uthman was succeeded by Ali, who took the Uthman Qur'an to Kufa, now in Iraq. Timur laid waste to the area, claiming the qur'an as booty. He took it to the wonderful capital he created in Samarkand. It remained there for several centuries until, in 1868, when the Russians invaded and captured the Qur'an and brought it back to the Imperial Library in Moscow (now known as the Russian National Library). After the October Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, in an act of good will to the Muslims of Russia gave the Qur'an to the people of Ufa (In the modern day Federal subject of Russia Bashkortostan). However, after significant protest by the people of Turkestan ASSR the Qur'an was returned to Central Asia, to Tashkent, where it has since remained.
