Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages was a Moscow school specializing in Caucasian language and culture, particularly that of Armenia. Many Russian scholars specializing in Transcaucasia received their education at the institute.
The institute was established in 1815 by the Lazarev (Lazarian) family. In 1827 control passed to the Ministry of Public Education, the school was renamed the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, and was remodeled as a special gynasium with language courses in Arabic, Armenian, Persian, and Turkish. By 1844 the school had 105 students, of which 73 were Armenians, 30 Russians, and 2 others.
In 1848 the institute was upgraded to a lyceum, and in this new form trained Armenian school teachers and priests. As the Russian empire expanded through the Caucasus and Central Asia, the institute became central to the training of Russian civil servants and interpreters. In 1872 it was formally divided into two sections, one of which continued as a gymnasium, while the other presented a three-year course in the Armenian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Georgian languages, history, and culture.
Between 1919-1920, the institute was renamed first the Institute the Armenian Institute, then the Southwest Asian Institute, then the Central Institute of Living Oriental Languages, and finally the Moscow Oriental Institute. By the 1930s the institute had lost its students, and its library was transferred to the Moscow's Lenin Library.
The institute's building currently houses the Armenian embassy.
[edit] References
- Bournoutian, George, Russia and the Armenians of Transcaucasia, 1797 - 1889: A Documentary Record, Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Press, 1998.
- Worrell, William H., "An Account of Schools for Living Oriental Languages Established in Europe", Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 39, 1919 (1919), pp. 189-195
