From 16 to 18 March the international conference “The Second Scientific Readings Named After the Academician I.Yu. Krachkovsky: Heritage, Collections and Research” was held at the main building of the Russia National Library (RNL) in Saint Petersburg. It was opened by a welcome speech of the RNL Director D.O. Tsypkin and the Director of the State Hermitage, an Academician M.B. Piotrovsky.
More than forty specialists in the area of Oriental studies from Russia, Georgia and Iran, including the employee from the Scientific Department of Ibn Sina Foundation Ahmad Ranjbari Heidarbaghi, participated in the conference. He delivered the online report “Persian Manuscript Collection of the Russian State Library: a Preliminary Review”. Referring to numbers and facts, A.Ranjbari Heidarbaghi told about the emergence of this collection and its further study. As well, he shared information about the manuscript thematics and variants of its ornamental decoration. He also introduced the most precious and ancient manuscripts from the collection.
The conference was dedicated to the memory and heritage of an outstanding Arabist, the founder of the Soviet school of Arabic studies, and the translator of the Holy Quran Ignaty Yulianovich Krachkovsky (1883-1951). It provided a platform for opinion exchange between Russian and foreign scholars considering Arabic studies, Arabic epigraphy, Muslim art, the history of Oriental studies and manuscript heritage.
The event was held with the joint assistance of the Russian National Library, Ibn Sina Foundation, the Center of Oriental Studies of the Russian National Library, the State Hermitage and the Moscow Islamic Institute (with the assistance of the Foundation for the Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education).
