On September 13-16, 2010, the VII Congress of Russian Orientalists was held in Zvenigorod, which was prepared by the Society of Orientalists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Department of Historical and Philological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Asian and African Countries of Moscow State University with the support of the Russian The congress was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the Russian Imperial Society of Orientalists, whose activities in various regions of the country were reflected in most of the reports. The main topic proposed for discussion at the congress is "Research priorities of Oriental research, higher education, cultural and educational centers of the Russian Federation".

The program of the congress also included holding an Assembly of Eurasian Orientalists to restore scientific ties, exchange information and identify opportunities for cooperation between representatives of the once common scientific school of the industry, which is a whole range of humanitarian scientific disciplines.

The congress was attended by more than 200 scientists from research, higher educational and cultural centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Vladivostok, Lipetsk, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Altai, Bashkiria, Buryatia, Dagestan, Kalmykia, North Ossetia, Tuva, Khakassia, Yakutia.

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Orientalists from the independent republics of the post-Soviet area represented Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan.

At the opening of the Congress, program presentations were made by MSU ISAA Director M. S. Meyer, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. V. A. Tishkov, Director of the Institute of the Far East, M. L. Titarenko, Director of the Institute of Africa, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, A. M. Vasiliev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Russian Academy of Sciences G. I. Chufrin, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Armenian Academy of Sciences R. A. Safrastyan.

Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences V. V. Naumkin in his speech touched upon the changes that have taken place in Oriental science and the problems it faces. Among the positive changes, in particular, is the expansion of the area of Oriental studies in Russia, the development of Oriental studies in those regions of the country where it did not exist before. Oriental studies have become popular as the center of global development moves to Asia, which creates opportunities that need to be used effectively. Among the main problems are difficulties in attracting young specialists to science, especially in the "classical cycle" specialty, which requires long-term training and large labor costs, as well as funding publications, providing foreign scientific literature, modern equipment, and developing international cooperation. He noted that the inevitable "modernization" of Oriental studies should not obscure attention to the "classical cycle". V. V. Naumkin also spoke about the recent restructuring of the Institute, about some traditional and new areas of research. He stressed that today there is an urgent need to unite the forces of all Orientalists working in both academic institutions and universities, and to develop new methodological approaches.
Greetings were also read out by A.D. Nekipelov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, M. V. Margelov, Member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, K. N. Ilyumzhinov, Head of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia, S. L. Tikhvinsky, E. P. Chelyshev, V. S. Myasnikov, and Corresponding member of the RSUH Rector. Russian Academy of Sciences E. I. Pivovar and colleagues-orientalists from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Lithuania.

The work of the congress was divided into three sections, but almost every session was united by a specific topic related to the scientific interests of the participants. At the same time, it should be noted that most of the presentations were the result of research on a particular problem, which allowed participants not only to get acquainted with the directions of scientific research of colleagues, but also to discuss conclusions and results. The central place in the reports of the participants belonged to topics related to the problems and prospects of development and updating of Oriental studies both in academic institutions and in regional institutions.

So, A.D. Voskresensky (MGIMO(U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) in the report " Political Science of the East or Political Orientalism? On the prospects of forming a new subject field at the intersection of political science and classical Oriental studies" drew the attention of the audience to an obvious fact. Any theoretical explanation of modern international political and economic processes cannot be considered complete without an analysis of their specifics in non-Western regions of the world, since it is this part of the globe that most of the participants in the international system belong to. At the same time, for quite a long time, the theoretical understanding of the features of Asian and African regions from the point of view of a comprehensive comparative political analysis noticeably lagged behind the consideration of similar processes in the Western world. This situation often led to the fact that theoretical approaches based on Western realities were automatically considered applicable to all other parts of the world, which ultimately caused significant distortions in the understanding of political processes in Asia and Africa, which led to miscalculations at the level of international interaction practice.

The speaker reviewed a number of collective and individual monographs of Russian political scientists-Orientalists working at MGIMO(U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and other centers of Oriental Studies. These works, in his opinion, are very significant and useful for the educational process, if only because they are very difficult to find analogues in the market of research and educational literature in Russia. They also make a significant contribution to the theoretical understanding of the processes taking place in the diverse post-bipolar world, thereby forming a whole complex of new type of educational literature, with a significant, and in most cases prevailing research component, which opens up a new scientific direction not only for Russian, but also for world academic thought, devoted to the analysis of world political issues, taking into account the role of the East in international relations.

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V. Ya. Belokrenitsky (IV RAS) presented the concept and main tasks of the Center for the Study of the Near and Middle East of the IV RAS. Speaking about the relevance of studying the region, which includes four states-Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan-and the area of traditional settlement of Kurds (ethnic Kurdistan), the speaker pointed out five main scientific and analytical areas of research: historical, which includes studies of certain aspects of modern and modern history; socio-economic, which analyzes the main stages and milestones in the evolution of the economy social structures, current economic dynamics and development prospects; socio-cultural, which considers social history, features of religion, language, mass culture; political, which consists in the study of political systems and political culture, the confrontation of various political forces, parties and organizations, national and ethnic movements, radical trends in political life, manifestations of political Islam in the world. its moderate and radical form, and international-political, focusing on bilateral interstate relations within the region and beyond cooperation with major world powers, including Russia, as well as multilateral diplomacy, economic cooperation, energy and transport corridors, regional and local conflicts, personal and public security issues, nuclear threats, drug trafficking, etc.

Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg.E. I. Zelenev presented the report "Modern paradigm of Oriental scientific knowledge", in which he noted that the strategic goal of the new paradigm of Oriental scientific knowledge is to create a new humanitarian scientific picture of the world through a comprehensive study of the countries and peoples of the Afro - Asian area. In conclusion, he proposed to formulate a new definition of modern Oriental studies as an interdisciplinary integrating science that aims to study the diversity of artificial forms and socially determined behaviors in the widest possible phenomenological spectrum, considering their socio-cultural existence in the context of the scientific paradigm of global interaction of cultures and civilizations.

A. K. Alikberov (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Return to the Origins: priorities of Russian Orientalism in the study of the regions of the post-Soviet East" spoke about the activities of the newly formed Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Ural-Volga region. The speaker identified the main directions in the study of the regions of the post-Soviet East: the study of history, religion (primarily local forms of Islam) and culture of the peoples of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Volga-Ural region, as well as related areas, including access to interdisciplinary topics; research in the field of source studies, historiography and auxiliary historical disciplines - sphragistics, numismatics, epigraphy, etc.; study of modern socio-political, socio-economic and confessional processes in the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as well as in the North Caucasus and the Volga-Ural region. A. K. Alikberov noted that the theoretical task facing Russian orientalists studying the countries and peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus can be formulated as a comparative study of the mechanisms of interaction between government, society and religion in various ethnopolitical zones of these regions, modeling their socio-political development taking into account external influences and internal factors.
V. N. Tuguzhekova (Khakniiyali, Abakan) spoke about the research activities of the Khakass Research Institute of Language, Literature and History in the study of the history, ethnography and folklore of the Khakass people.

The presentation of L. A. Chereshneva (LSPU, Lipetsk) contained information about the activities of the Lipetsk Pedagogical University's Oriental Studies Laboratory, which also trains students from Asian and African countries. The laboratory collaborates with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They study the problems of modern and contemporary history of India, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries. In recent years, they have published a significant number of publications, including seven monographs.

A. B. Davidson (ISAA MSU) in his report "The forgotten tragedy of Russian African studies" spoke about the birth of Russian African studies, organizations, personalities, areas of work, level of professionalism, achievements of the industry, the most prominent names. He did not ignore the tragic fate of the first Africanists and the almost complete destruction of this scientific direction during the terror of the mid-1930s. When asked about the importance of modern African studies for Russian and world science, A. B. Davidson admitted that Russian science does not keep up with the changes in the world. Of course, our African studies are trying to study

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recent developments in Africa and their impact on world politics, economy, and social relations. However, there is a lack of personnel. And here is the result. China, for example, is deeply embedded in the economy of many African countries, and sometimes we don't even know where to put our capabilities. Lack of information, contacts, and therefore interest. When asked about modern" black " racism in southern Africa, A. B. Davidson noted that such a problem exists, manifesting itself in different countries in different ways. The most striking forms of "black" racism took place in Zimbabwe, where, as is well known, Robert Mugabe deprived almost all white farmers of land and actually drove them out of the country. After that, there was famine and incredible inflation (several thousand percent per year). In South Africa, this problem is much less acute, although there is discrimination against white professionals, at least in the amount of wages received for work performed at the same skill level.

The joint report of I. G. Galyautdinov and S. N. Semenov "Russian Oriental Studies - a self-knowledge of Eurasian Russia (on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan)" showed the importance of the Eurasian cultural community for a multinational state and the role of Oriental studies as a social science in this process. A discussion developed on the report, during which the participants noted the need to create an Institute of Oriental Studies in Bashkortostan, which was then recorded in the resolution of the congress.

V. S. Boyko's report " Greater Central Asia as a scientific and educational project of peripheral Oriental Studies "contained information on the cooperation of Barnaul orientalists with scientists from Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia within the framework of the Greater Altai project. The speaker, in particular, complained about the problems inherent in "peripheral Oriental studies", but nevertheless drew the attention of the audience to his experience.

V. B. Besolov (Vladikavkaz) in his speech expressed regret about the national Caucasian studies, which, in his opinion, is in a state of "extinction". Answering questions from the audience, he noted that most scientific publications in the Caucasian republics are published in local languages, and scientific contacts with colleagues from other regions of Russia are very few.

A number of reports reflect the complex nature of Oriental studies, which has been enriched with new areas of research, such as energy and transport problems.

In the report of I. Yu.Avdakov and I. R. Tomberg (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "Transport research at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences", it was noted that the methodological basis for strategic planning of the development of the transport system of the Russian Federation should be the transport and economic balances of Russia and foreign countries, among which a special role is assigned to Asian countries. Transport surveys are designed in accordance with the above tasks and are conducted in the following areas:: regional transport integration and creation of a single regional transport space in Asia; forecasts of cargo flow between Asia and Europe and prospects for the development of Euro-Asian transport corridors; transport reforms in foreign Asian countries: experience for Russia; economic problems of transport development in individual Asian countries.

V. K. Yegorov (Scientific and Organizational Center) Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) on the example of Turkey showed the importance of the transit factor in geopolitics. The historical communication factor (shipping in the Black Sea Straits, the Great Silk Road, the Trans-Asian railway connection, etc.) became important and decisive for Turkey in economic, political, and strategic terms by the beginning of the XXI century. In the context of the often divergent foreign policy orientations of the participants in the complex interaction in the region and their different coalition affiliations, Turkey plays a constructive role of a major regional power based on the geopolitical situation that is favorable for it and based primarily on its own interests.

G. N. Valiakhmetova (BSPU, Ufa) presented the historiography of the oil history of the Middle East. Historical studies on this topic allow us to reveal and emphasize the diversity of factors, the multiplicity, multilevel nature and complex interweaving of various, sometimes mutually exclusive interests, draw parallels with the current situation in the Greater Middle East, and identify the specifics of the energy strategy of the current main "players" in the Middle East and Central Asian arena. The works of Russian and foreign scientists are a solid basis for further research on energy issues.

E. V. Koldunova (MGIMO University) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) in the report "Studies of problems of regional transformations in the East: political and economic aspects and security issues" ras-

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I looked at current issues related to what political principles determine the functioning of Eastern societies individually and Eastern regions as a whole at the present stage, how these societies react to global political processes, what determines the trends of political modernization in Asian and African countries, and how these states respond to a complex of new threats and challenges of global and regional development. character. This topic is the basis of a comprehensive scientific and educational direction in Oriental studies of the MGIMO Department of Oriental Studies. Problems of analyzing the specifics of the functioning and development of regional subsystems in the East in comparison with Western ones in the context of global development issues have been developed by MGIMO orientalists since the late 1990s, and the results of their research are reflected in a number of publications.

O. P. Kobzeva (Tash. nat. Tashkent State University) spoke about geopolitical, economic and cultural problems and prospects for the revival of the Great Silk Road in the Eurasian space, finally touching upon the issue of modern trade relations and the development of tourism in Uzbekistan. When asked about the influence of the Great Silk Road on the relations between the peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia, O. P. Kobzeva emphasized not only the importance of this trade artery in interregional relations, but also the need for a more detailed study of the scientific problem as a whole.

Scientists were very interested in reports that examined the causes and course of local and interethnic conflicts in a number of regions of Asia and North Africa.

A. A. Knyazev (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) presented the report "Interaction of Oriental research structures of Central Asian countries and Russia in the context of modern regional security issues". The discussion on the report focused on the situation in Kyrgyzstan and ways out of the current situation, the positions of the United States and Russia, and the possibility of a joint peacekeeping operation of these countries in Kyrgyzstan.

Yu. N. Tikhonov (LSPU, Lipetsk) in his report "Counteraction of the USSR to the penetration of the Axis countries into Central Asia in 1936-1939 "highlighted a number of problems in the history of Soviet-Afghan relations on the eve of World War II, in particular the role of Soviet diplomacy in the fight against the penetration of fascist Germany into the economic and political spheres of Afghanistan. As a result of the report, V. V. Naumkin noted that archival Oriental studies do not use such an important type of source as interviews with participants of events. During the discussion, an urgent problem was raised - the inaccessibility of archival funds and restrictions on the access of researchers to materials.

In his report "The Afghan crisis as a threat to International Security", V. G. Korgun (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) spoke about the threat of expanding its scale and bringing the crisis to the interregional level. When asked about the role of the Americans in the distribution of drugs from the territory of Afghanistan, V. G. Korgun said that the Americans prevent an increase in the flow of drugs: they destroy poppy fields, train their Afghan partners in this. However, they do this only in those places that they can control.

The topic of N. G. Romanova's speech (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) is the Italo-Turkish War of 1911 and the role of the Italian press in inciting chauvinistic sentiments in Italy. According to her assessment, the territory of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica was part of the Ottoman Empire since the XVI century, and claims to ownership of this territory by part of the Italian ruling elite began to manifest themselves from the end of the XIX century. During the war, the Italians suffered great human and financial losses. In her answers to questions, the speaker clarified that Arab tribes had put up considerable resistance to the Italian troops.

The report of S. Y. Lepekhov (IMBT SB RAS, Ulan-Ude) "Interfaith interaction in the modern world" was devoted to the religious situation in post-Soviet Buryatia. He stated the fact that there is no inter-confessional dialogue in the republic, each denomination (Buddhism, Orthodoxy, Old Believers and Islam, which appeared relatively recently), as well as traditional shamanism for this region, exist by themselves and do not need any interaction. Speaking at the discussion, N. L. Zhukovskaya noted that interaction is possible only when the listed confessions have a common goal.

N. G. Ochirova's report (KIGI RAS, Elista) "Ethno-religious situation in the Republic of Kalmykia" continued the topic of interaction of religions. Interfaith harmony in Kalmykia, she believes, is the merit of President K. Putin. Ilyumzhinov, who financed the construction of both Buddhist and Orthodox churches, and in recent years, a Muslim mosque. Elista is home to the largest Buddhist temple in Europe (built in 2005).

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Complementing her speech, N. L. Zhukovskaya noted that this is not just a temple, but a Buddhist cultural center. Here, in addition to the prayer hall, where holidays and daily services are held, there is a lecture hall where scientists speak and Buddhist lamas who come from different countries give initiations, a cinema hall where films on Buddhist topics are shown, there is a library with Buddhist and Buddhist literature, a small Internet center and rooms where doctors and practitioners receive appointments. eastern medicine.

Traditional for Orientalists in their research was a new understanding of historical events and the role of individual leaders. Thus, L. V. Kuras (IMBT SB RAS) in his report "Communists, Buryat Democrats and the Mongolian Revolution of 1921" gave information about the activities of Soviet Communists and Buryat Democrats in the Mongolian revolution of 1921. Based on archival sources, he described the activities of the Party secretary of Buryat Mongolia M. M. Sakhyanova and the chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army E. D. Rinchino in the 1920s. According to the speaker, E. D. Rinchino and Agvan Dorzhiev, a teacher of the Dalai Lama XIII, met with V. I. Lenin and discussed the situation in Mongolia.

In his report "Russia and the Turkic peoples in the concept of Eurasians", A. Kadyrbaev (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) expressed the opinion of one of the founders of Eurasianism, P. Savitsky, that Russian scientists need to free themselves from the influence of Eurocentrism. He divided the entire history of interaction between Slavs and Turks into periods: from the earliest times to the tenth century; from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries; the Golden Horde period; from 1452 to 1696, when the forest won over the steppe; and the unification of all Eurasia after the forest won over the steppe. The Eurasians noted the positive influence of the Turanians-Turks on the Slavs.

D. V. Dubrovskaya's report "The Jesuits and the Age of Enlightenment in Europe" contained interesting historical evidence about the missionary activities of the Jesuits in India, China and Japan in the XVI-XVII centuries, thanks to which certain ideas about the culture of these countries and a positive attitude towards Confucianism were formed in Europe. A great interest in China was shown by the scientist and thinker K. Leibniz, who was interested in the culture of China and wrote two books about this country. He was looking for evidence of the existence of the universal proto-language of Adam and Eve, as well as the way to Chinese lands through Russia. The report referred to the writings of K. Wolfe and Kesne, which dealt with some topics on the history of the Chinese state.

In the report of Yu. S. Khudyakov (IAET SB RAS, Novosibirsk) The article analyzes the interaction and mutual influence of the Russian, Turkic and Mongolian peoples of Siberia in the Late Middle Ages and Modern times. Different points of view on this issue were analyzed, historical evidence of the participation of various Turkic and Mongolian peoples in the Russian military detachments and the use of military traditions of indigenous Siberian peoples by Russian soldiers was noted.

The reports of O. V. Lushnikov (Perm State Pedagogical University) "The problem of the geopolitical, cultural and ideological heritage of the Mongol Empire in modern Russian Historiography" and D. M. Timokhin (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "The Mongol Conquest of Central Asia: prospects for historiographical Research" were devoted to the assessment of the role of the Mongol Empire in the global historical process in Russian scientific literature, and to changing the view of this role in the post-perestroika era.

Yu. V. Chudodeyev's report "Problems of Soviet-Chinese and Russian-Chinese relations in modern historiography of the PRC" reported that over the past 10 - 15 years, China has experienced a noticeable surge of interest in the history of Russia and relations between the two countries. Specialized research centers have been established to study this topic and train young specialists. Much attention was paid to the study, translation and publication of new archival materials.

Improving the system of Oriental studies education and training remains one of the most important topics of modern Oriental studies.

D. V. Streltsov in the report " Activities of the MGIMO Department of Oriental Studies(U) The Russian Foreign Ministry noted the need for qualitatively new general theoretical and special works that adequately reflect the current stage of international relations and the processes taking place in the Afro-Asian world. In conclusion, he presented the results of research projects of the Department of Oriental Studies for 10 years - a series of publications devoted to a comprehensive analysis of socio-political problems in modern regions of Asia and Africa, as well as an introduction to the curriculum

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new disciplines of regional studies and political science profile and 25 new comprehensive courses of generalizing type, many of which are still taught only at MGIMO.

A.V. Akimov (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Forms of attracting senior students and undergraduates to research work" noted an acute problem of modern Russian Oriental studies-the tendency to reduce the number of scientific personnel in Oriental studies due to the fact that only a small number of students join the ranks of researchers, finding work in other fields. It is necessary to involve senior students in collective research work, which will solve two important tasks: increase the level of training of students and provide an opportunity to introduce a large array of new scientific information into scientific circulation.

I. S. Smirnov (IVKA RSUH) in his report "On the formation of the RSUH Center for Classical Oriental Studies: results and prospects" spoke about the almost 20-year experience of Oriental studies education at RSUH within the framework of the Institute of Oriental Cultures and Antiquity.

A. L. Ryabinin's report "Some problems of teaching Oriental History in higher Education", based on his experience as a teacher at the Higher School of Economics, aroused great interest among colleagues who teach special courses on Oriental history at various universities. The speaker proposed to abolish the existing separate teaching of the history of the East and the history of Western Europe and introduce a single course of world history, breaking it into chronological cycles, so that students would understand from the student, or better - from the school bench, that there are no separate histories of the West and the East, but there is a single historical process for all mankind.

Director of the Eastern Institute of Far Eastern State University (Vladivostok) A. A. Khamatova in her report "On the competencies of Orientalists that they need in translation" noted that the knowledge and skills of a translator consist of several factors (linguistic and regional studies, technical and translational, communicative, etc.). Special attention was paid by A. A. Khamatova to translation ethics - a set of moral principles which the translator must follow in their work. During the discussion of the report, the need to expand the training of simultaneous interpreters and revive the course of translation theory was noted. V. S. Kim (State University, Chelyabinsk) made a presentation on the activities of the Faculty of Eurasia and the East in training specialists in Oriental studies in the Southern Urals. The report raised many questions, which were mostly of a practical nature and related to the work of this center.

S. D. Serebryany (RSUH) spoke about the problems of teaching languages and modern history of South Asian countries at RSUH. The report's discussion focused on the current state and prospects of training specialists in South Asian issues.

G. Miskinene (Vilnius University) highlighted the history of the formation and current state of Oriental studies at the university. Among the objects of study of Lithuanian orientalists were the Turkic-speaking ethnic groups of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Tatars, who appeared on the territory of this country in 1397, and the Karaites. The university has sources in Eastern languages, collected at various times by scientists, travelers and missionaries. In the XVIII century, some of the materials came from G. Forster, who studied the peoples of the Volga region. In Soviet times, Vilnius University did not develop Oriental studies. The Center for Oriental Studies was revived in 1993.

O. N. Polyanskaya's report "Russian university centers for the study of the Mongolian language and the history of Mongolia in the XIX-early XX centuries" was devoted to the problems of the history of Russian Oriental education . She reviewed the history of such centers of Mongolian studies as Kazan, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk Universities, as well as the Vladivostok Oriental Institute. Ch. K. Lamazhaa (Moscow Humanit. un-t) spoke about the activities of the electronic journal "New Studies of Tuva". The editorial board of this magazine is interested in the problems and prospects of modernization of Tuva, opportunities for the development of the transport network and tourism.

K. A. Lavysh and N. V. Shchukina (Minsk) spoke about the problems of studying the culture and art of the East in Belarus. The report noted that, despite the undoubted interest in the East - exhibitions of fine arts, cultural centers, shows of works by masters of Chinese, Japanese and Indian cinema, amateur websites, an increase in the number of official and unofficial language courses - the only branch of Oriental studies that has real support and development is linguistics, however, limited to legal ones., trade and legal transfers. As for the study of Eastern culture and art, there are great difficulties. In higher educational institutions, courses of lectures on fine arts (even at the Academy of Arts), philosophy, music culture, literature-

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tours of Eastern countries are very brief and limited to the most necessary information, in some cases they are not available at all. Oriental art history courses are taught at the Academy of Arts, and were also taught at the European Humanities University before its closure. As for the cultural centers of the Eastern countries, there are cultural centers of China, Japan, Korea and India in Minsk, but they do not have the support of either embassies or state organizations and their activities are little known, they cannot influence the cultural life of the republic. The situation with the study of oriental art is more optimistic at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, where, in addition to studying the museum's oriental collections, exhibitions of oriental art are regularly held with the support of the embassies of China, Japan, and India.

I. V. Zaitsev's report "Arabic, Persian and Turkic manuscripts of Moscow collections: results and prospects of study" spoke about measures to centralize manuscript materials in the collections of museums and scientific institutes, which also had some negative consequences for Eastern archeography in Moscow. A significant part of the Arabic-language manuscripts were transferred to the Leningrad Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, so Oriental source studies did not develop in the capital. In Moscow, there are still some scattered collections in libraries, museums, and research institutes. Some time ago, the Institute of Oriental Studies adopted a program for describing these manuscripts. Several catalogues have been prepared in recent years.

V. A. Dmitriev (REM, St. Petersburg) spoke about the exhibition activities of REM. Due to the lack of space, the museum displays similar items from the collections of different Caucasian ethnic groups. He also noted the importance of A. A. Miller's scientific and collecting activities in the scientific processing and attribution of such collections. The report of S. A. Belyaeva (Kiev) contained an analysis of the materials of joint excavations of cities and fortresses of the Ottoman border area on the territory of Ukraine. Such works were carried out on the square of the Turkish fortresses Ochakov, Kinburn and Akkerman. The report focused on the results of historical and archaeological research on Ackermann conducted by Ukrainian, Turkish, British and Canadian specialists. Modern research methods were used during the excavations.

Topic of the report by A. A. Burkhanov (Kaz. feder. un-t ) - study of antiquities on the territory of Eastern Turkmenistan. The monuments of the Parthian period and the Middle Ages were described. The report was accompanied by illustrative material, images of ceramics and coroplastics. The report of G. A. Belova (CEI RAS, Moscow) was devoted to the results of the ten-year archaeological activity of the Center for Egyptological Research in Egypt. The speaker spoke about the work carried out in different years in Memphis, Alexandria, Fayum and other monuments using satellite images and geophysical surveys. Settlements and burial complexes belonging to different historical periods of the culture of ancient Egypt were studied. The speaker showed images of the excavation process, burial structures and tomb paintings, finds of ceramic dishes and jewelry. A. A. Voitenko (CEI RAS) spoke about the reconstruction of the Coptic funeral rite. Based on the excavations of the Dar el Banat necropolis, he described the sequence of funerary ceremonies that were characteristic of the Coptic population of Egypt in the late antiquity and early Middle Ages.

D. V. Mikulsky, L. V. Goryaeva, and N. I. Prigarina of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in their report "The Written Heritage of the East: Traditions and Modernity" drew special attention to the fact that, despite the modernization processes that began in the XVII century. the social consciousness of the Eastern peoples is characterized by a significant degree of conservatism. In most countries of the East, social structures that emerged centuries and sometimes even millennia ago have been preserved and are actually functioning: clans (family-related groups, patronymics), tribes, stable regional groups, estates, castes, and traditional gender and age associations. Due to these circumstances, the written heritage of the past does not lose its significance in the eyes of the bearers of traditional Eastern cultures, and the system of values and regulatory institutions reflected in the monuments retains its influence in the life of societies of various levels. It is obvious, therefore, that research on the modern East should be based on a solid foundation of source studies. Written monuments contain valuable information about existing public and cultural institutions that have their roots in the distant past. Familiarity with the sources allows researchers - political scientists, ethnologists, and sociologists-who conduct field observations in the countries they study to gain a deeper understanding of the causes and significance of current political events. The main pathos of the report was reduced to the need for all possible support for the national school of oriental source studies and technology-

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It is a combination of efforts aimed at both preserving old cadres and attracting fresh, young forces to source research.

The report" Pashto manuscripts at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences " was made by an employee of this Institute O. A. Vodneva (St. Petersburg). The Afghan manuscripts, she noted, were collected by well-known scientists H. D. Fren, K. G. Zaleman, V. R. Rosen and others. Despite the efforts of collectors, there are few Pashto manuscripts in the Hebrew collection. Larger collections are held at the British Museum in London, Paris, Germany, Princeton University in the United States, and some in Yerevan, Tashkent, and India. A significant number of manuscripts are probably available in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Manuscripts vary in content: religious texts, historical and literary works. N. L. Zhukovskaya (IEA RAS) dedicated her report to the 20th anniversary of the end of the Comprehensive Soviet-Mongolian Historical and Cultural Expedition in Mongolia (1969-1990). She explained how much has been done by archaeologists, ethnographers, anthropologists, and epigraphists. The results of the expedition's work are still being published in both Russia and Mongolia.

At the final plenary session, in addition to the report on the activities of the Society of Orientalists for two years, reports of the head of the BSC RAS corresponding member were heard. B. V. Bazarova, Russian Academy of Sciences, on the prospects and significance for regional science of the Society's activities and those events that were prepared and conducted jointly. Director of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts I. F. Popova introduced the participants to major international projects for the publication of written monuments and problems of preservation of Oriental manuscripts. Director of the publishing company "Vostochnaya Literatura" S. M. Anikeeva informed about the plans of the publishing house and fundamental works published recently.

The VII Congress of the Society of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Oriental Studies of Russia, positively assessed the work of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences during the reporting period. Due to changes in the charter of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the final plenary session of the Congress became, in essence, the constituent assembly of Orientalists, where it was decided to reorganize the Society of Orientalists at the Russian Academy of Sciences into the Society of Orientalists of Russia as an independent public organization. The participants were given a draft of the new charter of the company, which was amended and supplemented. V. V. Naumkin, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was elected President of the Society of Orientalists.A meeting of colleagues instructed him to carry out the necessary organizational measures for the registration and registration of a new public association of Russian Orientalists.

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