The MAE RAS Khiwan Collections of A. N. Samoilovich

Abstract

The expedition of academician Alexander Nikolaevich Samoylovich (1880—1938) to the Khanate of Khiwa in 1908 have been one of the most significant trips of Peter the Great's Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera). A. N. Samoylovich's activity on gathering ethnographic material has enriched the MAE item and photo collections related to the life of Khiwan population, the Uzbeks and the Turkmen. Unfortunately, little is known about the expedition itself, its organisation, its route, and the circumstances under which the field materials were collected. The Museum collections, together with the published works of the academician, helped reveal another facet of his talent — as ethnographer and collector. A. N. Samoylovich's Museum collections represent original material, which will allow to reconstruct the cultural situation in the Khanate of Khiwa of the beginning of the 20th century.