This gift is a manuscript of the Georgian epic poem ‘A Knight in Panther’s Skin’ by 12th century Georgian master poet Shota Rustaveli. This manuscript of 360 pages has been hand-inscribed and hand-illuminated. The text was inscribed by Georgian calligraphers Davit Maisuradze, Giorgi Sisauri, Nino Ikashvili, Ana Gokadze and Levan Tskhviravashvili. There are more than 400 miniature paintings and illuminations in acrylics, ink, watercolour and gold leaf created by Georgian graphic designers Tamaz Varvaridze and Sophie Kintsurashvili. The book is displayed with an engraved cover, made by a renowned contemporary Georgian sculptor Goudji Amashukeli, a Commander of the French Order of Art and Literature. This cover is inlaid with precious stones and decorated with reliefs and engravings. 

The poem is a hero’s journey told in two parts. The first, in which the protagonist, Avtandil, has been sent to find the titular knight in panther’s skin. The second part of the text is the quest of Avtandil and Tariel (the knight in panther’s skin) to find the latter’s lost love. It has recurring themes of leadership and governance through prudence, wisdom and sacrifice for the common good. Some of the author’s teachings are timely today as, 1. “He is his own foe, who seeks not a friend", 2. "Lion's whelps are equally lion, though female or male they be", 3. "That which we give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost". It’s been translated and printed into over 40 languages and a beloved wedding gift. 

The Manuscript was presented by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, to the United Nations on the 23 September 2021.

The United Nations Postal Administration issued a pane of 10 stamps and 10 labels on the 26th of May 2021 celebrating the 850th anniversary of Shota Rustaveli’s birth and his seminal work ‘A Knight in Panther’s Skin’. The text itself has been translated into more than 40 languages and was recognised by UNESCO as part of the ‘Memory of the World’ Register in 2013. The admission to this register is due to the poem being considered by UNESCO to be the peak of development of neo-Platonic thinking exploring the themes of human nature, friendship, love, the struggle for freedom and equality.