Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 22 June 1802 or 3 August 1803 Rasht, Qajar Iran |
| Died | 27 November 1870 (aged 68) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Resting place | Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation | Orientalist, historian, philologist |
| Language | |
| Notable awards |
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| Relatives | Alexander Kazembek (great-grandson) |
Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek[a] (22 June 1802 or 3 August 1803 – 27 November 1870), was an orientalist, historian and philologist in the Russian Empire.
Born in Rasht, Qajar Iran, Kazembek hailed from a prominent family originally based in Derbent, a city historically tied to Iran. Kazembek grew up during the tumultuous period of the Russo-Iranian war of 1804–1813, which culminated in the Russian conquest of Derbent in 1806. His father, Hajji Qasim Kazem-Beg, was appointed the principal qazi (Muslim judge) of Derbent by the Russians, and in 1811, Kazembek and his mother rejoined him there. However, after his father was accused of treason, the latter was banished to Astrakhan, where Kazembek joined him in 1821.
In Astrakhan, Kazembek encountered Scottish missionaries and converted from Islam to Christianity, which led to severe opposition from his father. Despite this, he remained committed to his new faith and was baptized by the Scottish mission in July 1823. Following his conversion, Kazembek entered the compulsorily Russian imperial service and later joined Kazan University in January 1826. He advanced rapidly in his academic career, becoming a professor of Arabic and Persian literature and dean, and earning international recognition for his contributions to Oriental studies.
In 1849, Kazembek moved to the University of Saint Petersburg, where he was appointed as a professor of Persian. He was appointed dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies in 1855, and he founded the Department of Oriental History in 1863. After his death, he was buried in Saint Petersburg's district Pavlovsk, where had probably stayed for some days before his death.
Notable for his deep engagement with both English-speaking and Russian cultures, Kazembek was a distinguished scholar in Persian and Turkish studies. His expertise in these fields, similar to that of the Russian orientialists Vasily Bartold and Vladimir Minorsky, established him as a pioneer to both the prominent school of Iranian studies in Saint Petersburg and the scholarly traditions in London. He was the great-grandfather Mladorossi founder Alexander Kazembek.
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