Saul Abramzon

Abramzon Saul Matvei (Абрамзон Саул Матвеевич) (1905–1977) was a scientist-ethnographer, Turkologist, and specialist in Kirgiz ethnology. Saul Abramzon graduated Leningrad University in the former USSR; he specialized in Turkic ethnology under Turkologists Samoilovich A.N. |A. N. Samoylovich]] and S. E. Malov. Residing mostly in Leningrad, and working in Leningrad section of the Ethnography Institute, Saul Abramzon at the same time was a member of Kirgiz scientific commission on history, began scientific ethnography of the Kirgiz people, and directed the Kirgiz State museum in Kirgiz capital named Frunze at that time, working simultaneously as a deputy director of the Kirgiz Scientific Research Institute, a scientific custodian the Kirgiz State museum, and later a director of Kirgiz Ethnological Institute.

Almost all ethnographic expeditions carried out in Kirgizstan from 1926 to the 1960s were conducted under Saul Abramzon's leadership. In the process, Saul Abramzon brought up a generation of Kirgizstan expert ethnographers.

The range of scientific problems in which Abramzon was engaged was wide and covered almost all aspects of ethnography of Kirghiz people. The major theme of S. Abramzon research was ethnogenetic, historical and cultural connections of Kirgizes with peoples of Middle Asia, Southern Siberia and the Central Asia, forms of Kirgiz economic activities, material culture, ceremonies, customs and beliefs. Saul Abramzon left a huge scientific heritage: monographies, articles, reviews. They are stored in History Institute of Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

Publications