Arab-Muslim Military Ethics in the Arab-Muslim Dynastical Chronicles (Based on the Data Base of the Themes and Narrative Motiffs of the Arab-Muslim Dynastic Chronicles of the 9th–10th Centuries)

A considerable part of materials, comprising the texts of the Arab-Muslim Dynastical chronicles of the 9th–10th centuries (works, where the Muslim history is narrated according to the reigns of the caliphs) deals with war ethics. The works on history under consideration reveal, that the Arab-Muslims, while at war, were proclaiming certain ethical principles and were to a certain extent fulfilling them. They were aware, that war causes misfortunes and while taking part in it one should rely upon Allah’s will and face death without hesitation. As far as the overwhelmed adversary is concerned, one should treat him mercifully. To mutilate the dead body of a slain enemy is a mean deed. Furthermore, a woman, who finds herself at a military theatre, deserves protection and indulgence. The passages under analysis present not only a rich frame of events, concerning the move of hostilities, but also give mental pabulum for the contemplation over social psychology of the participants of the historical process in the Arab-Muslim world.

The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Indonesia

This article examines a rather extensive period in the history of Indonesia — from the beginning of the rise of the national liberation movement until the coup of September 30, 1965. The primary attention is paid to the formation, development, and crises of the Communist Party of Indonesia (CPI)— one of the leading forces of the national liberation movement in Dutch India. The work highlights the crisis of Dutch colonial rule during the First World War and the gradual radicalization of the protest movement, the formation in 1920 of the Indian Communist Association (CPI since 1924), its opposition to the colonial authorities, as well as interaction and contradictions with other national forces. The reasons for the rapid growth in the popularity of the party in 1925–1927 and the equally rapid decline in the 1930s are explained. The second part of the article is devoted to the activities of the CPI during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia and its place in the political system of independent Indonesia, as well as the position of the party in 1965–1966, the moment of the beginning of repressions against its members and the official ban of the communist organization on March 12, 1966.

Modest Worker of Russian Sinology: Remembering Vadim L’vovich Sichev

The author recalls the outstanding Russian sinologist Vadim L’vovich Sichev (1940–2019): He narrates the scientist’s biography and names his main academic works. Vadim L. Sichev was born in the family of famous soviet artist Lev P. Sichev. After graduation from the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University, he worked in the State Museum of Oriental Art for a long time. The main areas of his scientific research were the study of Chinese costume and Chinese classical painting. Vadim L. Sichev has published a large number of books and academic articles. The most famous works of the scholar are “Chinese Costume: Symbolism, History, Interpretation in Literature and Art” (1975, co-written with his farther Lev P. Sichev), “Chinese Classical Paintings in the Collection of State Museum of Oriental Art” (2016), “Modern Chinese Prints in the Collection of State Museum of Oriental Art” (2016). The article contains reflections about the creative method and research principles of Vadim L. Sichev.

Tribute to Bagrat G. Seyranyan, Our Dear Friend, Colleague, and Teacher!

On April 23, 2021, an outstanding Russian Arabist, Doctor of History, Principal Fellow of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Bagrat Garegionovich Seyranyan celebrated his 90th birthday. His works on the recent history of Egypt and Yemen and the general problems of the socio-political development of the Arab countries in the 20th century have long become classic. Many of them were translated into Arabic and received well-deserved recognition abroad, and such books as “Egypt in the Struggle for Independence, 1945–1952” (Moscow, 1970) and “Evolution of the Social Structure of the Countries of the Arab East. Land Aristocracy in the 19th Century – the 60s of the 20th Century” (Moscow, 1991) entered the golden fund of world academy. The contribution of Bagrat Seyranyan to the training of new generations of orientalists is colossal. Under his leadership there were prepared more than 40 Ph.D. theses, he participated in authoring of numerous textbooks and teaching materials on the history of the Arab world. In this paper friends, colleagues and students address the hero of the day with words of recognition and gratitude.

“He Created the Institute in a New Capacity, It Was His Brainchild”: On Bobodzhan G. Gafurov, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1956–1977)

The article focuses on the memoir of the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Bobodzhan G. Gafurov (1956–1977), his work, and the activities of the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1969–1970s. The author shares his memories of Bobodzhan Gafurov and the orientalists’ team of those years, thereby recreating the atmosphere of the Institute’s everyday life at the end of the 60s. The article reveals not only the professionalism of the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies and his contribution to the development of Soviet Oriental studies but also the personality of B. G. Gafurov: an influential and at the same time not indifferent man with an excellent sense of humor. Bobodzhan Gafurov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan in 1946–1956, was appointed to the post of director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences given the sharply increased importance of the East for the Party and his interest in scientific research. A party leader and scientist, Gafurov possessed diplomatic skills and a deep understanding of the specifics of the East. Having made an invaluable contribution to the preservation of oriental studies as a scientific discipline, Gafurov supported the freedom of scientific discussion among orientalists, as far as possible in his time.

South Yemeni Historian Ahmad Fadl al-‘Abdali (1881–1943) on His Native Land (Based on the Historical Work Hadiyyat al-Zaman fi Akhbar muluk Lahdj wa ‘Adan)

Ahmad Fadl al-‘Abdali (1881–1943) is a remarkable cultural figure of Southern Yemen. A close relative of the sovereigns of Sultanate of Lahdj, he displayed himself as a poet, a musician, a horticulturist, a general, a politician and, finally, a historian. While describing his native Lahdj and Aden, ruled by the British, in the historical work of Hadiyyat al-Zaman fi Akhbar muluk Lahdj wa ‘Adan al-‘Abdali revealed himself as a genuine adherent of the traditional Arabic school of history-writing, who nevertheless acquired some “alien” lessons and innovations. While telling the story of Ahmad Fadl al-‘Ablali and his work on history, the Author of the article puts his study into a broad historical framework, besides sharing with the reader his own impressions on the visit to Southern Yemen undertaken in 1982.

The Trebizond Operation through the Eyes of Turkish Historians

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the operation conducted during the First World War: during this operation Russian troops, after a series of successful actions on land and at sea, captured the Black Sea port of Trebizond (today Trabzon). The capture of Trebizond helped to improve the basic conditions of the Black Sea Fleet and enabled an unimpeded delivery of reinforcements by sea to the right flank of the Russian army in the Caucasus. As a result, the Russian empire was close to establishing control over a significant part of the Ottoman Turkey’s territory. In the aftermath of the operation, the local Muslim population left Trebizond together with the Turkish army. The Russians, who entered the city without a fight, set for the transforming the city in their own way. Turkish historians, using the material of the Ottoman, Russian, and foreign periodicals, as well as archival documents, have studied in detail the intricacies of the Russians stay in the city, revealing also the damage caused by the war to the cultural and historical heritage of the region. This article provides a brief analysis of selected Turkish studies dedicated to the 100th and 105th anniversary of the Trebizond operation. It also discusses the issue of war refugees and the activities of Russian scientists, who were engaged in the collection of historical monuments in Trebizond during the war.

Dinara Dubrovskaya: Forty Years in Oriental Studies. Part I

This first part of the interview with Dr Dinara V. Dubrovskaya — a Sinologist, art critic, journalist and author, editor-in-chief of the Oriental Courier magazine and, since 2021, head of the Department of Oriental History at IOS RAS — is timed to coincide with her 60th anniversary. The conversation touches on questions of education in Asiatic studies at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at the Lomonosov Moscow State University; the role of Oriental studies in society in the late 20th and early 21st centuries; and some peculiarities of the development of Oriental studies in the Soviet and post-Soviet times. The interview talks about the most prominent scholars Dr Dubrovskaya worked with, the special aspects of Oriental studies, and raises some controversial questions of gatekeeping in humanities, as well as the global phenomena of Orientalism and “Occidentalism”.

Palace Banquet in the Heian Japan. The Origins. Part 1

The process of meal consumption was one of the key elements in the life of early medieval Japanese society as it included special rituals. Thus, food had an enormous symbolic purpose among the utilitarian ones. Court banquets were held to enhance the prestige of the host or strengthen social ties between the participants. The educational potential of the court feast was no less important. This practice was well-grounded in the early Japanese court religious and ceremonial tradition and partially continued its ideals. Court regulations preserved and furthered such traditions, for example, the Bokuzansho (Notes of the Northern Hills) is the best known among them. It is possible that the strict regulation of food amount and type not only enlarged the sphere of the sacred but also made court life more disciplined. The common meal strengthened the ideals of the court environment: the emperor and his inner circle were distinguished from the general community. To sum up, the description of the court allows us to better understand the life in the imperial palace, the provisions and ideals in dignitaries’ minds, and the various social norms and problems that existed in the court society. In the article, the author describes the phenomenon of Japanese palace meals in the 9th to 12th centuries. Therefore, based on this analysis, he presents a reconstruction of the lifestyle of Japanese court society.

Technology in Education: EdTech in GCC States and COVID-19 Challenges

In recent years, “EdTech” and “E-Learning” concepts have become part of people’s routine. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the conception of social development, the nature of progress, and the application of information technologies. How reasonable is the development of distance learning? This question was raised by many actors. Meanwhile, during the most acute outbreaks of the pandemic, there was a sharp adoption of entire measures for the EdTech introduction around the world, including the Arab states. This article looks into characteristics of the situation in the field of educational innovative technologies in the states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) in the period preceding the pandemic and in the last year and a half. The emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of the development of the situation in each of the countries: despite the obvious similarity of the economic, political, and cultural fields, all six Member States of the Council had different attitudes to the goals of education, to the reform of this area, and to the use of technology and EdTech in education process. The article is divided into two main parts according to the chronological principle: The first briefly describes the processes of implementing educational technologies until 2020 characterizing the overall dynamics of the development of the sector in each of the six countries. The second part similarly covers the period of the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic as well as introduces the measures and steps taken in the GCC countries, provides analysis of their effectiveness and the reasons for their success or failure. The problem of the research seems to be extremely relevant despite the little amount of academic works devoted to this topic. Further study of the experience of Arab countries will not only allow to make several assumptions about the effectiveness of certain measures in other countries (e.g., in Russia) but also can become the basis for a broad comparative study covering the entire region of the Middle East and North Africa.