Mikhail Piotrovsky, Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University, awarded the title of Honorary Doctor by Yerevan State University

The proposal from the Academic Council of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University to confer the university’s highest honorary title on the eminent Orientalist Mikhail Piotrovsky was unanimously supported by the Academic Council of Yerevan State University in April 2024. A delegation from Yerevan University arrived in St Petersburg to formally present the diploma and gown of Honorary Doctor of Yerevan State University to the jubilarian, who turned 80 on 9 December.

Professors Ruben Melkonyan and Mikayel Hovhannisyan, representing Yerevan State University, participated in the ceremony and presented Mikhail Piotrovsky with the insignia of his honorary doctorate from Yerevan State University to mark the occasion of awarding him the title of Honorary Doctor of Yerevan State University.

Academician Piotrovsky remarked that he had previously addressed students of Yerevan State University and is looking forward to meeting them again, this time as an Honorary Doctor of Yerevan State University. He noted that this year, the Russian-Armenian archaeological expedition to study the Urartian fortress of Teishebaini in Armenia (known in Armenian as Karmir Blur, or Red Hill), where specialists from the Hermitage have been working since the mid-20^th century. He spoke about new forms of inter-museum cooperation, highlighting the close cultural ties between Russia and Armenia and the fact that prominent representatives of the Armenian intelligentsia have become bearers of St Petersburg’s cultural spirit.

Born in Yerevan in 1944 into a family of scientists, Mikhail Piotrovsky developed his interest in the history and art of the East through his family’s influence. He has worked at the Hermitage since 1991 and has served as its General Director since 1992. The social and academic activities of Mikhail Piotrovsky have always been associated with the University. In 1967, he successfully completed his studies at Leningrad State University, defending his dissertation at the Department of Arabic Philology. Mikhail Piotrovsky was elected Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University at the meeting of the Academic Council of St Petersburg University in May 2013. He also heads the Department of History of the Ancient East Countries and the Department of Museum Management and Historical Monuments Preservation. He conducts practical classes and lectures. Academician Piotrovsky’s extensive publications on the history of the Arab world, Islam, and art history are widely referenced in scientific research and incorporated into the teaching and learning process, enriching courses such as the Quran studies, the history of Arab countries, regional studies, and Arabic to name just a few.

Professor Ruben Melkonyan, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University, congratulated his colleague on his 80^th anniversary. He noted that the Piotrovsky family name is well known in Armenia, beginning with Boris Piotrovsky, who studied the monuments of ancient Armenian history, including the Kingdom of Urartu. Professor Melkonyan highlighted the collaboration between the schools of Oriental studies of St Petersburg and Yerevan. He presented Academician Piotrovsky with a special issue of the Journal Oriental Studies of Yeravan State University, dedicated to the Academician’s 80^th anniversary.

Following the ceremony, Mikayel Hovhannisyan, Vice-Rector for Development and Innovation at Yerevan State University, conveyed the congratulations of Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Rector of Yeravan State University. The Rector praised Academician Piotrovsky for his role as Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University, where he continues to pass on his knowledge and expertise to students of one of the world’s oldest schools of Oriental studies. Vice-Rector Hovhannisyan also extended an invitation to Mikhail Piotrovsky to visit Yerevan State University and be officially welcomed in his hometown. As part of the celebration, students of the Department of Applied Arts at Yerevan State University created and gifted a painting inspired by a 15^th-century Gospel, especially for Academician Piotrovsky’s anniversary. 

Additionally, Elena Chernova, Academic Secretary and Deputy Chairperson of the Academic Council of St Petersburg University, congratulated Mikhail Piotrovsky on behalf of the University and presented him with a traditional jubilee gift.