Vasily Bartold

From Freepedia

Vasily Vladimirovich Bartold (Russian: Василий Владимирович Бартольд, also known as Wilhelm Barthold; 15 November (O.S. 3 November) 1869 in Saint Petersburg — 19 August 1930 in Leningrad) was a Russian anthropologist who succeeded Wilhelm Radloff as the greatest authority in the field of Turcology. His contributions on medieval culture of Central Asia are particularly valuable.

Bartold's lectures at the University of Saint Petersburg were annually interrupted by extended field trips to Muslim countries. In two volumes of his dissertation (Turkestan down to the Mongol Invasion, 1898-1900) he pointed out to many benefits acquired by Muslim world as a result of Mongol domination. Bartold was the first to publish obscure information of early Arabian historians on Kievan Rus. He also edited several scholarly journals of Muslim studies. In 1913, he was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences.

After the Russian Revolution, Bartold wrote three authoritative monographs on the history of Islam, namely Islam (1918), Muslim Culture (1918), and Muslim World (1922). He also contributed to the development of Cyrillic writing for Muslim countries of Central Asia. Most of his writings were translated in English, Arabic, and Persian. Bartold's works were reprinted in 9 volumes between 1963 and 1975.