M.S. ASIMOV, AN OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR, HUMANIST, SCIENCE ORGANIZER, STATESMAN AND PUBLIC LEADER

Muhammad Saifiddinovich Asimov was born on August 25, 1920 in Khujand city, Republic of Tajikistan. He studied at the workers’ faculty of the Khujand Agricultural Institute (1934-1937), the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the Uzbek State University named after A. Navoi (1937-1941, Samarkand) and received the qualification of a physicist. He taught physics and mathematics at Samarkand secondary school No. 5, participated in the World War II, was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, medals “For the Defense of Leningrad” (1944), “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945” (1945), joined the CPSU (1945), was awarded commemorative jubilee medals: “Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1965), “50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1967), “30 Years of Victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 “(1975). “60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1978), the Order of the Patriotic War of the First Degree (1985), “50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1995).

Upon return to his home country he held the position of the head of the Department of Physics, deputy director for studies at the Leninabad State Pedagogical Institute (1946-1952), later he studied the postgraduate course at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of CPSU and defended Ph.D. thesis on “Space and Time as the Basic Forms of Matter Existence”(1952-1955), afterwards he returned to his native LSPUand took over the position of senior teacher (1955-1956).

In 1956 M.S. Asimov was appointed the first rector of the Tajik State Polytechnic Institute in Dushanbe, where he put much spirit and tremendous organizational efforts, knowledge and pedagogical experience into creation of this first Technical institute of Tajikistan composed of three faculties, numerous laboratories and workshops. Muhammad Saifiddinovich and his associates, great scientists, teachers and specialists paved the way for good traditions of the current renamed Tajik Technical University named after M.S. Osimi. Asimov’s pleiad of the Technical university made a great contribution to personnel growth of the scientific and technical intelligentsia as the main basisof the scientific and technical revolution of Tajikistan in the second half of the 20th century (for more details, please, see the book: “Tajik Technical University”. Dushanbe: SharkiOzod, 1996).

In early 1962, following the successful establishment of the Tajik Polytechnic Institute and the first graduation of students, M.S. Asimov was appointed the Minister of Public Education of the Tajik SSR.Holding this position, he participated in the UNESCO International Conference on Education in Geneva, organized the First Republican Meeting of the Workers of Higher and Secondary Specialized Educational Institutions of the Tajik SSR. But shortly thereafter, in the same year, MS. Asimov was elected and appointed simultaneously to the three-place party and state position of Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik SSR and Chairman of the Party and State Control Committee of Tajikistan (1962-1965). M.S. Asimov was elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR of the 6th convocation (1963-1967). Such a joint supervisory authority with large party-state powers was the brainchild of Khrushchev’s thaw, conceived as atool for combatting mass violations in state and public structures of authority and society at the stage of overcoming the consequences of the totalitarian system of Stalinism in the country. The choice of a civilly and politically competent, highly intelligent M.S. Asimov to such a difficultand multifaceted leadership position was an undeniable success of the state authorities of the Tajik SSR. M.S. Asimov established this structure in the republic and achieved a lot; in 1964 he was awarded the Medal “For Labor Valor”, and a year later the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1965).

In 1965, upon the decision of the government authorities M.S. Asimov had been transferred to the Academy of Sciences and elected as a full member (academician) of Academy and, at the same time, he had been appointed to the position of the President of the Academy of Sciences, to the vacancy of the outstanding Tajik scientist-physicist and mechanic Sultan UmarovichUmarov.

Academician Muhammad Saifiddinovich Asimov came to science long ago. It is symbolic that holding the position of the deputy director of the Leninabad State Pedagogical University as far back as in 1948, he published an article in local newspaper in Leninabadskaya Pravda entitled “For the flourishing of Soviet scientific thought” (May 17), and “Research work: in the Leninabad Pedagogical Institute” (July 4), in 1949 he published the article “Radio inventor” (about the famous Russian inventor Popov) in “HakikatiLeninobod” (March 16). In 1950, M.S. Asimov published three articles “For strong knowledge”, “Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov” and “Forge of teaching staff” (about LSPI)in the same newspaper “Leninabadskaya Pravda” (January 8, January 15, August 12). We should note here that in the same 1948, M.S. Asimov at the request of B.G. Gafurov send two young graduates of the history faculty of Leningrad State Pedagogical University N.Negmatov and A.Jalilov to the Leningrad Institute of the History of Material Culture of the USSR Academy of Sciences to A.Y. Yakubovsky, the upcoming official opponent of the doctor’s defense of B.G.Gafurov in 1951. Here is the tangle of the then peripeteia of training personnel and the Gafurov-Asimov principle of mutual cooperation. We suppose that it was in those years that the then political and scientific leader of Tajikistan B.G.Gafurovpaid his attention to the growing personality of M.S. Asimov. In that period B.G.Gafurovestablished Tajik State University (1948), the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (1951) and began to prepare for establishment of the Tajik Polytechnic Institute. In early 1956he also managed to establish this important object of the general social, economic, cadre and cultural-intellectual growth of the republic, before he moved to work in Moscow as director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. He entrusted the management of the mentioned Institute to Asimov, who just passed his postgraduate studies and defended his Ph.D. thesis on the physical and philosophical topic “Space and Time as the Basic Forms of Being of Matter” at the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee (1952-1955). Gafurov’s patronagewhich then turned into a close friendship, brought to Tajikistan lots of benefits, in particular, in the scientific process and organizational alliance of the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan during the period of B.G.Gafurov’s management and M.S. Asimov’s presidency in the Academy of Sciences.

M.S. Asimov got higher education (1941), pedagogical activity (assistant professor and physicistsince 1957) and academic specialization – Ph.D. (1955) and doctoral (1970) theses of physicist-philosopher and reached very deep subtleties of physical and philosophical sciences, especially in the field of conceptual philosophical definitions of material existence. It is enough to mention the theses defended by him: “Space and time as the basic forms of being of matter” and “The concept of matter and the problem of physical reality.” Profound knowledge of the basic forms of material existence in space and time, the issues of physical reality, first led M.S. Asimov to dialectical materialism, and then his researchesof the cultural heritage of many peoples, especially outstanding classics of Persian-Tajik science and culture brought him to historical materialism and he was awarded the title of the Professor of Philosophy (1971). At the second stage of his scientific and presidential activity, he became one of the outstanding scientists-organizers of science and great intellectuals and erudite people of the Republic of Tajikistan and the foreign East.

M.S. Asimov was a scientist-materialist, culturologist, historian of science, who especially contributed to the research and propaganda of the national philosophical and scientific heritage of the Tajik people. Scientific activity and many-sided interests of M.S. Asimov are inseparably linked with the achievements of all natural, social sciences and the humanities of Tajikistan. He was a great expert mostly in the sciences related to the study of the historical and cultural heritage of our nation and the Motherland: from archaeography to archeology, from folklore to ethnography, from cultural science to ethnology and these sciences served as a starting point to common modern cultural anthropology. He needed objective knowledge of the past to create a modern, higher and harmonious society on Earth.

M.S.Asimovran the activities of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan for 23 years (1965-1988). During this period, he managed to do enormous work. In relatively short-term presidency of S.U. Umarov powerful structural and personnel bases of the Tajik Academy were laid, as forM.S. Asimov’s period of management,the structural formation of the following scientific institutions proceeded: the Pamir Biological Institute (1969), the Institute of Oriental Studies (1970), the Mathematical Institute with the Computing Center (1973), the Department of General Genetics of Cotton (1975), the Main editorial office of the Tajik Soviet Encyclopedia (1969). These establishments enabled to complete the formation and stabilization of the activities of the Academy of Sciences and its access to the all-Union and world scientific space. Dushanbe gradually began to acquire the role of scientific capital of Tajikistan, and a number of leading industrial scientific centers, like: physical, technical, mathematical, biological, agricultural, chemical, medical, seismological, historical, philosophical, legal, philological centers were formed under supervision of academicians.

M.S. Asimov simultaneously performed a great scientific and organizational work on a number of additional functions: the chief scientific editor of the Tajik Soviet Encyclopedia, the Chairman of the Republican Committee for the State Prize named after AbualiIbnSino(1967-1990), the Chairman of the Committee of S. Aini, the Chairman of the Society “Znaniye” (“Knowledge”) of the Tajik SSR 1977-1987), Chairman of the Terminology Committee under the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences. For many years M.S. Asimov was aChairman of the Republican Council for the Coordination of Scientific Researches in the field of natural and social sciences, personally participated in the activities of several allied and regional coordination councils.

M.S. Asimov was a participant of the celebrations on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the ancestor of Tajik classical literature A. Rudaki (1958); The 250th anniversary of the foundation of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1959); VIII Mendeleev Congress in Moscow (1959); III International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science in Amsterdam, Netherlands (1967); XII International Congress on the History of Science in France (1968); Scientific session dedicated to the 525th anniversary of the birth of AlisherNavoi (1968); International Congress dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi in India (1969); UNESCO International Seminar on the Study of the Civilization of Central Asia in Afghanistan (1970); UNESCO International Symposium “Al-Beruni and Indian Science” in India (1971); IV International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science in Romania (1971); XXV traditional scientific conference in Tashkent (1971); celebrating the 650th anniversary of the birth of Hafiz Shirazi (1971); XV World Congress of Philosophers in Bulgaria (1973); XIX International Congress on the History of Science in Japan (1974); Conference on the History of Science in England (1977); Anniversary Seminar dedicated to the centenary of the birth of S. Aini in the GDR (1978); Bilateral Symposium “Scientific and Technical Links between Central Asia and India in the Middle Ages” in India (1981); XXI International Congress on the History of Science in Romania (1981); International Conference on the History and Culture of Central Asia in the Middle Ages in Alma-Ata (1985). This is an incompletelist of the forums attended M.S. Asimov. Andhere is an incomplete list of countries-organizers of forums, in which M.S. Asimov participatedas a scientist and public figure:

Switzerland (twice), Iran (repeatedly), Canada, the Netherlands, France (repeatedly), Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Romania (twice), India (repeatedly), Nepal, Bulgaria, England (twice), Germany, Japan, Venezuela, Mexico, the USA, Cuba, Yemen, Italy (several times), Lebanon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Tanzania and many other countries.

As a prominent scientistM.S. Asimov represented Soviet science abroad, he headed the delegation of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR many times. He participated in the organization of a number of important international symposiums devoted to the study of the contemporary and past cultures of the peoples of Central Asia, the Middle East. Among them there were forums dedicated to the jubilees of the classics of Persian-Tajik literature: AbdurahmanJami, Hafiz Sherazi, Ahmad Donish, SadriddinAini, Indo-Tajik classical poets KhusravDehlavi, MirzoGolib, Muhammad Iqbal and others. He was the first deputy Chairman of the All-Union and republican committees for holding events dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Abu-aliibn Sino (Moscow, Dushanbe, 1980). He was the head of the authors’ team to prepare for the publication of “Selected Works of Ibn Sino” in Tajik and Russian languages (each in 10 volumes).

M.S. Asimov exerted a great influence on the development of scientific cooperation with scientists and scientific centers of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the USSR itself. A series of publications with M.S. Asimov’s assistancenowadays servesas an indispensable evidence of Asimov’s heritage in science and international cooperation.

The merits of M.S. Asimov in science and social life of the country and abroad were recognized by his becoming a member of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (1965) and a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1974), by awarding him the honorary title of “Honored Worker of Science of the Tajik SSR” (1977), laureate of the International Prize named after Jawaharlal Nehru (1983) and Honorary Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1987). The last award was given for his ten-year work as a curator and consultant of the Academy of Sciences of the DRA in 1978-1987.

There is a great variety of M.S.Asimov’sscientific interests: philosophical problems of natural science, history of philosophy, history of science, modern science of science. He published books in the mentioned fields of knowledge: “Matter and the physical picture of the world” (Dushanbe, 1966), “The origin and development of philosophical thinking” (Dushanbe, 1970), “The concept of matter and the problem of physical reality” (Moscow, 1970), “Dialectical materialism “(Dushanbe, 1974). He was involved in translation of a number of complex philosophical works into the Tajik language which belong to the classics of world science of the 19th-20th centuries: “Anti-Dyuring” by Friedrich Engels, “Materialism and Empirio-Criticism” and “Philosophical Notebooks” by V.I. Lenin, as well as teaching aids on Physics and Philosophy.

M.S. Asimov spent most of his time for the study of specific problems of analyzing the history of the spiritual culture of the Tajik and other peoples in the past and present. Among them we can name the following: “Science of Central Asia inKushan epoch and the ways of its study” (Dushanbe, 1968); “Relativity of the dependence of scientific thinking on the level of social development of society”; “The flourishing of science in the Tajik SSR” (Dushanbe, 1969); “Science of Soviet Tajikistan” (Moscow, 1970); “The formation and development of Soviet science in Tajikistan” (Dushanbe, 1970); “The development of science in Tajikistan” (Moscow, 1971); “The flourishing of the science of Soviet Tajikistan” (Alma-Ata, 1973); “Academy of Sciences and the development of science in fraternal republics” (Moscow, 1974); He headed the capital editorial office of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR (Dushanbe, 1979).

M.S. Asimov headed and carried out the publication of collective work of social and cultural significance– the first fundamental universal encyclopedias: “Tajik Soviet Encyclopedia” in eight volumes (Dushanbe, 1978) and two editions of the one-volume encyclopedic reference book “Tajik SSR”(Dushanbe, 1974, 1984), which fully and concisely expressed and factually and analytically reflected the history, culture, science, literature, art of the Tajik people from ancient times to the twentieth century inclusive.

Profound knowledge of M.S. Asimov in the field of the history of philosophy in general and the history of the philosophy of the medieval East in particular enabled him to raise the layers of the historical and philosophical material previously unavailable to a broad scientific audience that reflected the peculiar potential of the most important urgent problems of modern scientific knowledge. The books of M.S. Asimov are devoted to the analysis of the main stages in the development of philosophical thought, the theories of various philosophical schools and trends, disclosure of specific laws and the internal logic of the development of philosophical thinking, the connection established between philosophy and life, the development of science, culture and society as an integral organism. In view of the fact that in the research literature the place and significance of the medieval philosophy of the countries of the Near and Middle East, especially the Iranian-Tajik world, are not defined accurately and objectively, M.S. Asimov, analyzing the philosophical systems of her most prominent representatives (Abu Bakr Razi, Abuali ibn Sino, Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and others), expresses his views on the features of the development of philosophical thinking in the mentioned region and its place in the general history of philosophy. M.S. Asimov put forward a lot of interesting observations, ideas, thoughts and general conclusions about the development of philosophical thinking in the era of bourgeois revolutions in Western Europe, where the philosophical thought, especially the doctrine of dialectics and materialism, was intensively developed. M.S. Asimov considered the main trends of modern philosophy:neopositivism, pragmatism, neotomism, existentialism. He noted manifestations of the crisis of bourgeois ideology in them, as well as the prerequisites for the formation of Marxist philosophy, dialectical and historical materialism and scientific communism.

The sciences about the life and works of outstanding scientists and poets of the Tajik and foreign East: AburaihanBeruni, Abuali ibn Sino, Abdurahman Jami, Shamsiddin Hafiz, KhusravDehlavi, Muhammad Iqbal, Ahmad Donish, SadriddinAini and AbulkasimLahuti were significant, interesting and close to M.S. Asimov. The scientist deeply investigated the problems of an objective historical analysis of the history of the spiritual culture of the Tajik people, the formation of its new modern culture and science, national specifics and development principles. He considered the issues of cultural construction in close connection with the solution of the common tasks of contemporary national culture in Tajikistan and other developing countries of the East.

The works of M.S. Asimov dedicated to philosophical issues of natural science, the history of philosophy, the history of science and the urgent problems of contemporary cultural construction was renowned in many countries of the world.The works of M.S. Asimov had been published in Russian, English, German, Farsi, Arabic and other languages of the peoples of the Near and Far Abroad. He had an equally excellent style of scientific presentation in Tajik and Russian languages, he was a good interpreter of particularly complex and responsible scientific texts on physics and philosophy, he was also a master of simple accessible texts for the general reader, an even greater master and connoisseur of fine and precise epistolary writing. He spent his entire life improving his great knowledge in the field of Oriental art of elegant philology and was never tired of passing through this noble path, he received joy and pleasure from the Farsi-Tajik literary language of his nation. He always had timefor all this. Our scholar and great owner of the Tajik exquisite literature did not lose himself while being in close environment of the masters of the Farsi-Tajik word –SadriddinAini, SotimUlugzoda, MirzoTursunzoda, BokiRahimzoda, RakhimJalil, AbduganiMirzoyev, Nosirjon Masumi, Daniil Komissarov, IosifBraginsky.

 

 

M.S.ASIMOV IN COTRACT WITH UNESCO

In the second half of the twentieth century Tajik science had the most favorable relations with the United Nations International Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO). These relations were laid by Academician B.G. Gafurov – Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences as early as Tajikistan was the part of the Soviet Union. This outstanding person launched a large research program called East-West, followed by a program to study the civilization of Central Asia. To organize and manage a complex of scientific and practical works (research centers, publications, scientific symposiums, seminars), UNESCO Soviet Committee for the East-West Program was first established under the leadership of B.G. Gafurov, and then the International Association for the Study of the Cultures of Central Asia (IASCCA) and its Soviet Committee under the leadership of B.G. Gafurov. In 1968, Dushanbe, IASCCA hosted the first large international meeting of scholars of orientalists, historians, archaeologists, archaeographers, linguists, anthropologists, culturologists– experts in the history, archeology and culture of Central Asia of the Kushan empire. The Moscow and Dushanbe organizing committees of this symposium were led by B.G. Gafurov and M.S. Asimov, and the forum was prepared by the staff of the Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR. It worth mentioning here that at that time the executive secretary of the Dushanbe organizing committee was N.N. Negmatov, one of the authors of this book. M.S. Asimov set in motion the whole potential of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR of those years. As a result, everything was organized at a high level with full and comprehensive feedback of forces and capabilities. M.S. Asimov published his book “Science of Central Asia of the Kushan era and the ways to study it” (Dushanbe: Donish, 1968, 40 p.) devoted to this symposium.

So far, the organizational and qualitative levels of this forum of scientists and their scientific results have not been surpassed! We should note that M.S. Asimov already had his first meeting with the UNESCO international organization. Holding the position of the Minister of Public Education of the Republic he participated in the famous UNESCO International Conference on Education in Geneva (Switzerland) as far back as in 1962. The Kushan symposium became a good forerunner of the upriseof Tajik science and its human resources.

In subsequent years M.S. Asimov participated in a number of IASCCA events to UNESCO: in 1970, at the International Seminar on the Study of the Civilization of Central Asia in Afghanistan; in 1971 at the International Symposium “Al-Beruni and Indian Science” in India, etc. In 1977, after the death of academician B.G. the academician M.S.Asimov became his worthy successor as the President of IASCCA at UNESCO. In the same year 1977, he headed the work initiated by B.G. Gafurovon preparation and conducting of the second major International Forum of Archeologists and Anthropologists in Tajikistan, dedicated to the oldest ethno-cultural processes in Central Asia.

Under the guidance of M.S. AsimovIASCCAmultiplied its activities in preparing the international edition of UNESCO “The History of Civilizations of Central Asia” in six volumes in English. In 1980, the International Scientific Committee of this publication was established under the leadership of M.S. Asimov. At the same period, an expert meeting was held to prepare a general chronology of the structure of all volumes and the specific content of the first two volumes. Four scholars participated at this meeting of experts from the USSR, including from Tajikistan – N.N. Negmatov and V.A. Ranov. In the 1980s, a number of meetings of the International Scientific Committee were held and much work was done on the competitive selection of the authors’ team from all Central Asian countries and specialists from other countries of Asia, America and Europe. Tremendous work was done to write, discuss, unify and publish four volumes (volume IV in two books) by the year 2000, which covered the history and civilizations of the peoples of Central Asia from the ancient times to the end of the 15th century. All these volumes were published by the International Scientific Committee under the leadership of M.S. Asimov and editors of individual volumes. The author’s collective of published volumes from Tajikistan included academician N.N. Negmatov (chapters in the volumes II, III, IV) and corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan V.А. Ranov (section I of the volume).

It is quite appropriate here to cite the “Project Description” made by UNESCO on the preparation and publication of the “History of Civilization of Central Asia”, published by M.S. Asimov, in the forewords to the volumes I, II, III, IV of this edition (Paris, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, pp. 11-13):

M.S. Asimov has applied much effort and energy to implement another major International UNESCO publication: “The History of Mankind: Scientific and Cultural Development” in seven volumes. He was a co-editor of Volume IV of this edition, covering the period from VII to XV centuries A.D. M.S. Asimov and N.N.Negmatov wrote the chapter for this volume on “Transoxiana in the 7th-15th centuries” and “Chronogram of the scientific and cultural development of Transoxiana and Iran in the 7th-15th centuries”. The first three volumes of this great fundamental work have already been published in 1994 and 1996. During his last trip to Paris, to the headquarters of UNESCO in April 1996, M.S. Asimov made a recommendation for publication of the first book of Volume IV and the edition of a number of chapters of the second book of Volume IV of the History of Civilizations of Central Asia; he also reviewed four chapters of Volume IV “History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development” as a co-editor of this volume.

Thus, academicianM.S. Asimov has done a great scientific and scientific-organizing work on the research, writing and publishing of the above-mentioned large international editions of UNESCO ever performed by the world science. M.S. Asimov was an outstanding scholar of the former USSR and contemporary Republic of Tajikistan, a recognized scientist, contact person in international circles and programs of UNESCO, all countries cooperating with this worldwide organization of education, science and culture.

In the second half of the 20th century B.G. Gafurov, M.S. Asimov and their scientific associates raised Tajikistan to the highest level of official international scientific cooperation. We would like to express the hope that the new generation of Tajik scientists and science organizers, being on top of the successes achieved by their predecessors, will not surrender the world positions of modern Tajikistan’s science.

 

M.S. ASIMOV – STATESMAN AND PUBLIC FIGURE

M.S. Asimov was a prominent figure of Tajikistan and the USSR, he consistently held the positions of the Minister of Public Education of the Tajik SSR (1962), Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Chairman of the Committee for Party and State Control of the Tajik SSR (1962-1965) and President of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR (1965). -1988g.); he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR at the 6th convocation from the Parthizani Surkh electoral district (1963-1967), deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at the 7th convocation from the Vose constituency of the Tajik SSR (1966-1969), deputy of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 8th, 9th, 11th convocations from the Kulyab and Garm constituencies of the Tajik SSR (1970-1989), participant of the 55th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Iran (1966), member of the parliamentary delegation of the Supreme Council of the USSR at the 66th Inter-Parliamentary Conference (1979), member of the parliamentary delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Council in Italy (1982), participant of the 72nd Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Switzerland (1984), member of the government delegation of the USSR to Canada and the USA (1985).

M.S. Asimov was a prominent public figure of Tajikistan and the USSR, he was a chairman of the Presidium of the Tajik Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (1966-1969) and was awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the TODKS (1975); he was a chairman of the republican society “Knowledge” of the Tajik SSR (1977-1987); took part in the All-Union Society “Knowledge” at the seminar held in India (1973); took part in the All India Conference for Peace and Solidarity between Peoples in India (1974); he was a Deputy Chairman of the Soviet Committee of Solidarity of Asian and African Countries (1977-1996); laureate of the International Jawaharlal Nehru Prize (1983); was awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the Soviet Peace Committee for active participation in the activities of the Committee and in connection with the 25th anniversary of the World Movement of Peace Supporters (1974).

M.S. Asimov was repeatedly conferred governmental labor awards: Order of the Honor (1949), the Medal for Labor Valor (1960), the Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR (1961), the Order of Lenin (1961), the Medal “For labor valor”(1964), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1965),” For valorous work. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin” (1970), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1970), the Medal of academician S.I. Vavilov (1973), the Order of the October Revolution (1975), the Order of Lenin (1980), the medal “Veteran of Labor” (1984).

M.S. Asimov was a patriotic citizen of his great homeland, the multiethnic Soviet Union and his native Tajikistan, defended them against Hitler’s fascism on the Leningrad front, where he lost his brother, Zainiddin Asimov. Among his numerous military awards, he proudly called the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”. There he joined CPSU (1945), believed in the dawning of the age of communism and worked constantly, daily and hourly, was a philosopher-materialist, honest communist, delegate of the XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXII congresses of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, delegate of the XXIII, XXV, XXVI, XXVII congresses of the CPSU. He knew all the progresses and failures of his country: both the great achievements of the USSR and the Tajik SSR, and the totalitarianism of Stalinism, and the gradual decay of the system in the epoch of L.I. Brezhnev, he silently and painfully suffered frequent changes in the subsequent sick leaders of the country and waited for something to happen and soon it turned out that his home country found its freedom, the sovereignty of the Tajik state. And he joined the ranks of the builders of the new democratic secular Tajikistan. During the last years of his life M.S. Asimov became the messenger of the people’s freedom in the fullest sense of the word and through his native association “Paivand” he indefatigably called for the unification of all citizens of Tajikistan, all Tajiks and Persian-speaking people of the world in the construction of the ancient and new national homeland of the Tajiks with their own language, culture and science. It is worthy to recall, for example, his well-known comprehensive interview “History is our nurtured heritage” (“Ta’rih–kishtayuhosili most” – TojikistoniSoveti, September 1, 1990). M.S. Asimov was a humanist scholar, a multi-sided intellectual on a global scale, a supporter of the National Unity and the generalTajik Renaissance. The scientist, educator and public figure spentthe last years of his life in the conditions of Gorbachov’s perestroika and the collapse of the USSR, full independence of his homelandTajikistan, the erupted economic, political and spiritual crises, the emergence of the non-regenerative prerequisites of a young independent country.

In the first book of the fourth volume “History of the Civilization of Central Asia” written by him and published after his death, his associate, American scholar, professor orientalist Richard Fry wrote “In memory of Osimi”:

(In memory of Osimi, History of the Civilization of Central Asia, volume IV, part 1, p.22)

***

Apparently this book will originate a new topic of contemporary Tajik historiography and science, namely, asimology. The next steps in this topic are the detailed scientific development of Asimov’s written source study: the archive, the library, the completion of bibliographic and biographical work, the collection of all kinds of memories among the scientific and general intellectual community of Tajikistan and other countries, from such venerable scholars and public figures as Ahmad Hasan Dani (Pakistan), MasudMirshakhi, Iren Iskanderi and DuduDien (France), Richard Fry and Denis Sinor (USA), a large group of scientists from Iran, India and Russia. The fact that M.S. Asimov is a philosopher, culturologist and scientist should be studied very deeply in order to dissipate the opinions of individuals or especially intellectuals who are envious and ill-wishers about the small or insignificant personal contribution of M.S. Asimov to the science. It is necessary to study the fruitful Gafurov-Asimov (Moscow-Dushanbe) cooperation, including the Orientalists and Tajik scientists involved in this circle, especially the participants of the UNESCO projects and programs. Finally, we should specifically review the issues relating Asimov’s humanism and personal characteristics, it is better to study it along with the work of academician MirzoTursunzade,his epoch-making friend and associate, an outstanding Tajik poet, thinker and public figure. In this aspect, it is interesting to touch on the problems of Tajik-Persian philology, Tajik linguistics, literary studies and cultural studies in Asimov’s heritage.

He made his last report on this subject in the UNESCO seminar at the Sorbonne University in Paris “Farsi language in the modern world” on the topic “Farsi language in Central Asia (the past, the present and the future)” (April 18-19, 1996).

According to M.S. Asimov, literary Farsi-Dari-Tajik is a classical language which was formed in the Samanids era in the works of Rudaki and NosirKhisrav, the language of “Shahname” byFirdavsi, the works of Saadi, the poems of Hafiz and KamolKhujandi, the simple smooth lyrics of JaloliddinBalkhi and Abdurahman Jami. M.S. Asimov suggested creating a joint scientific terminological body to regulate and unify the language issues in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which was accepted by the seminar participants. He also spoke on this topic in the Farsi departments of the BBC radio, the Voice of America and France International.

On 22 April 1996, in UNESCO headquarters, Paris, M.S. Asimov took part in the conference “The Culture of the Timur’s and the TimuridsEpoch” where he spoke about Timur’s personality in history, which was differentiated from “absolutely negative to idealization”. We should not forget about the Timurid seizures of foreign lands, robberies, atrocities and massacres of peaceful peoples. The Timurid cultural revival started in the Samanidsepoch, the summary of the works of scholars and writers ZakariyaRozi, AburayhonBiruni, Abuali IbnSino, Rudaki, Dakiki and Firdavsi, who paved the way for the cultural development of the whole millennium of Central Asia, when everyone spoke Farsi-Tajik in the circles of the rulers. In Timurids period, the symbiosis between Turks and Tajiks determined the ethnoculturalidentity of Mediterranean and Khorasan, as evidenced by the works of Abdurahman Jami, AlisherNavoi, and these thoughts and explanations of M.S. Asimov were supported by the participant of the conference, the Afghan thinker RavonFarhodi, who emphasized that: “The descendants of Tajiks in the epoch of Timur and Timurids still inhabit in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other countries of the East” (from M.S. Asimov’s written report on the trip to Paris dated 5 May 1996).

As we know, M.S. Asimovalso wrote poetry very fruitfully. This also needs to be “discovered” to learn more about our unforgettable mentor.

So, good luck–asimov-studies!

 

 

MAIN DATES OF M.S. ASIMOV’S LIFE AND ACTIVITY

 

Asimov Muhammad Saifitdinovich (Muhammad Osimi) was born on August 25, 1920 in Khujand city of the Republic of Tajikistan, in the family of a peasant.

1934-1937. Student of the agricultural worker’s faculty at Agricultural Institute of Khujand city.

1935. Awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the worker’s faculty at Agricultural Institute of Khujand city for good progress in studies and social work, with presentation of money award.

1937-1941. Student of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the Uzbek State University named afterA.Navoi. He graduated from the full course of the named university majored in “Physics” and upon the decision of the State Examination Committee dated November 4, 1941 he was awarded the qualification of physicist [Samarkand].

1939-1941. Teacher of Physics and Mathematics at the secondary school No. 5 in Samarkand

1941-1946.Participant of the Great Patriotic War, service in the ranks of the Soviet Army.

1944. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree and the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”.
1945. Joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the medal “For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.”

1946-1952 Head of the Department of Physics, deputy Director of the Leninabad State Pedagogical Institute named afterS.M. Kirov

1947.A Member of Association “Knowledge” of the Tajik SSR.

1949. Awarded the Order of the Honor. He joined the All-Union Society for the dissemination of political and scientific knowledge.

1952-1955 Post-graduate student of the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee [ Moscow].

1952.Delivered speech on the topic “Marx’s Analysis of the development of contradictions in commodity and commodity-capitalist production” at the meeting of the Dialectical and HistoricalMaterialism Departmentof the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSUCentral Committee [Moscow].

1954.A member of the All-Union Voluntary Sports Association “Nauka”.

1954. Delegate of the 5th session of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of the 3rd convocation.

1955.Defended his thesis on “Space and Time as the Basic Forms of Being of Matter” for the degree of Candidate of Philosophy at the meeting of the Academic Council of the Academy of Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee.

1955-1956. Senior teacher of Leninabad State Pedagogical Institute named after S.M. Kirov.

1956-1962. Rector of the Tajik State Polytechnic Institute [Dushanbe].

1957.Upon the decision of Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Higher Education of the USSR he was approved in the academic rank of associate professor in the department of Physics.

1957. He spoke at a solemn meeting dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of one of the founders of modern Tajik poetry AbulkasymLahuti.

1958. Delegate of the XI Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

1958. Participant of the celebrations dedicated to the anniversary of the founder of the Tajik classical literature AbuabdulloRudaki [ Dushanbe].

1959. Delegate of the XII Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

1959. Participant of the celebration on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Participant of the VIII Mendeleev Congress [Moscow].

1960. Delegate of the XIII Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

1961. Awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR. Awarded with the Diploma of the Central Committee of the CP of Tajikistan for his active participation in the work of the journal KommunistiTojikiston, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the publication of its first issue.

1961. Awarded the Order of Lenin. Delegate of the XIV Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Delegate of the XXI Stalinabad City Party Conference.

1961.A Member of the All-Union Meeting of Researchers[Moscow].

1962. Participant of the 25th UNESCO International Conference on Public education [Geneva].

1962 Minister of Public Education of the Tajik SSR. Participant of the First Republican Meeting of Workers of Higher and Secondary Special Educational Institutions of the Tajik SSR.

1962-1965. Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik SSR, Chairman of the Committee for Party State Control of the Tajik SSR.

1962. Participant of the Republican meeting on the construction of the Tajik SSR. Member of the All-Union scientific session “Regularities of the transition of lagging nationalities to socialism and communism, bypassing capitalism” [Dushanbe].

1963. Delegate of the 15th Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Participant of the Republican meeting-seminar of the trade-union activists of the 11-year-study schools of the Tajik SSR.

1963-1967. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR of the 6th convocation from PartizaniSurkh constituency.

1964. Awarded with the medal “For Labor Valor”.

1965. Elected as a full member (academician) of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR.

1965-1988. President of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR.

1965. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. He was awarded the anniversary medal “Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”

1965-1989. Chairman of the Terminology Committee under the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Tajik SSR.

1965-1987. Participation in the work of the General Annual Meetings of the USSR Academy of Sciences [ Moscow].

1966. Participant of the 55th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Iran.

1966. Delegate of the XVI Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Delegate of the XXIII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

1966-1969. Chairman of the Presidium of the Tajik Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.

1966-1969. A Member of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 7th convocation from the Voseconstituency of the Tajik SSR.

1967. Participant of the XXV session of the Council for the Coordination of Scientific Activities of the Academy of Sciences of the Union Republics.

1967. Confirmed to the position of the Head of the branch of the Soviet National Association of the History of Natural Science and Technology.

1967.Awarded the Jubilee Medal “50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”.

1967. Participant of the III International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science. Report [in English language] on the topic “On some scientific concepts associated with correlation E = mc^2″ in Amsterdam [Netherlands].

1967-1990. Chairman of the Republican Committee for the State Prize named after Abuali ibn Sino.

1967. Participant of the jubilee meeting of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences [Leningrad].

1968. Participant of the XII International Congress on the History of Science [ Paris].

1968. Participant of the Scientific session dedicated to the 525th anniversary of the birth of AlisherNavoi.

1968-1996. Chairman of the permanent Aini Committee under the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.

1968. Elected to the Research Group on Social and Economic Relations in the Kushan Empire at the International Conference on the History, Archeology and Art of Central Asia in the Kushan period [ Dushanbe].

1968. Participation in the celebration of the centenary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia.

1969.A Member of the International Symposium on the Art of the TimuridEpoch, Samarkand.

1969. Participant of the International Congress dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi [India].

1969.A Member of the International Conference on “Science, Educationand Non-violence”. He delivered a welcoming address at the opening of the conference [India].

1970. Participant of the Jubilee session of the general meeting of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR [Kiev].

1970. Member of the Lenin Days of Science of the Tajik SSR in Moscow. He delivered a report on “The Triumph of Lenin’s National Policy and the Development of Science in Tajikistan”.

1970. Participant of the Jubilee session of the General Meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Lenin[Moscow].

1970. Defended a thesis on “The concept of matter and the problem of physical reality” for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the meeting of the Academic Council of the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

1970. Awarded the jubilee medal “For Labor Valor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin”.Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

1970. Member of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 8th convocation from the Kulyab constituency of the Tajik SSR.

1970. Participant of the UNESCO International Seminar on the Study of Civilizations of Central Asia. A Member of the International meeting on the coordination of study and archaeological research in Central Asia. Elected Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the meeting [Kabul].

1970. Participant of the session of the General Assembly of the USSR Academy of Sciences devoted to the issues of technical progress [Moscow].

1970.Participant of the solemn meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Azerbaijan SSR [Baku].

1970.Participant in the celebrations dedicated to the 2500th anniversary of Samarkand city. Participant of the plenary session of the Second Central Asian Conference on the History of Natural Science and Technology with the report “Development of Science in the Tajik SSR”. Elected a member of the Bureau of the section “History of Physics”.

1971 A Member of the Soviet Sociological Association of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

1971.Upon the decision of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the USSR he was approved in the academic title of professor in the department of philosophy.

1971. Participant of the VI International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science [Romania].

1971. Participant of the XV traditional scientific conference in Tashkent.

1971. Delegate of the XVII Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

1971. Awarded with the Diploma of the Secondary School No. 53 in Dushanbe for exemplary education of his children and for active participation in the public life of the school.

1971.Participant in the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the birth of a classic of Tajik-Persian Poetry Hafiz Shirazi.

1971. Participant of the XIII International Congress on the History of Science. Participation at the XXIX session of the Council for the Coordination of Scientific Activities of the Academies of Sciences of the Union Republics [Moscow].

1971. Participant of the International Scientific Symposium “Al-Beruni and Indian Sciences” at the National Academy of Sciences of India. He made a report on “Astronomical treatises of Al-Beruni” [in Dari language]. Elected chairman of one of the sections in Symposium.

1971. Participation in a joint extended meeting of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the board of the Ministry of Chemical Industry and the Board of the Ministry of Oil Refining and Petrochemical Industry of the USSR [ Moscow].

1972. Participant of the meeting of the Academic Council of Moscow State Pedagogical Institute dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the birth and the 40th anniversary of the scientific and pedagogical activity of Gott V.S. A Member of the XXX session of the Council for the Coordination of Scientific Activities of Academies of Sciences of the Union Republics [Moscow].

1972. Participant of the Inter-republican scientific theoretical conference of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR and the republics of Central Asia. He spoke with the report on “The flourishing of science in Tajikistan” [Almaty].

1972. Participant of the United Visiting Session of the Social Sciences Section of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, IML under the CPSU Central Committee and the Academies of Sciences of the Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan, the report “The State and Development of the Humanities in Tajikistan …” [Dushanbe].

1972. Participant of the scientific symposium “Reflection of modern fields and properties of rocks in the state of rock massifs [Apatity].

1972. Participant of the First Republican Scientific Conference “Micronutrient Elements in Medicine” [Dushanbe].

1972. Participant of the All-Union Scientific Conference “Actual Problems of the Development of Materialistic Dialectics” [Moscow].

1973.A Member of the All-Union Meeting of the Workers of Higher Education Institutions [Moscow].

1973.A Member of the Philosophical Society of the USSR. He was awarded a medal named after academician S.I. Vavilov. Participant of the XV World Congress of Philosophers [Bulgaria].

1973.Participant in the solemn meeting of the scientific community of the capital, dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the great scholar AburaykhanBeruni.

1973. Participant of the XV International Congress on the History of Science. Has made the report on ” The dependence of scientific thinking on the level of social development of society” [Edinburgh].

1973. Participant of the seminar on the line of the All-Union Society “Knowledge” [India]. Reading lectures on the line of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in India. A Member of the 189th Jubilee Meeting of the Asian Society in Calcutta. He spoke in the symposium at the Institute of Cultures Ramakrishna and at universities in the cities of Gandigarh, Banaras, Calcutta [India].

1974. Participant of the All-India Conference for Peace and Solidarity among Peoples. Speech at the mass meeting in Tutu [India].

1974. Participant of the 10th Congress of the “Knowledge” Society of the Tajik SSR. A Member of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

1974. Elected Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences for the Department of Philosophy and Law.

1974. Awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Peace Defense Soviet Committee.

1974. Participant of the XIX International Congress on the History of Science. He spoke [in English] in the section of common problems (including social sciences, the science of humanity, the philosophy and methodology of science) [Tokyo].

1974. A Member of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 9th convocation from the Garm constituency of the Tajik SSR.

1975. Awarded the Order of the October Revolution. He was awarded the medal “30 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” He was awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Tajik Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with foreign countries.

1975. The scientific trip to Mongolia at the invitation of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences to familiarize with the setting of scientific researches.

1975. Participant of the extended meeting of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, dedicated to awarding the USSR Academy of Sciences with government awards of the socialist countries on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of its foundation. Participation in scientific sessions of the sections of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a friendly meeting with Soviet women on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

1975. Speech at the plenary session at the International Scientific Conference “Al-Farabi and World Civilization”, dedicated to the 1100th anniversary of the anniversary of Abunasr al-Farabi, Moscow.

1975. Participant of the Conference of Asian peacekeepers “For Peace and Security in Asia”. Head of the delegation of the USSR. Speech at the conference [Baghdad].

1975. Participant of the International Congress dedicated to Amir KhusrawDehlavi [Dushanbe].

1975. A trip to Iran as a member of the Parliamentary delegation of the USSR.

1976. Delegate of the XVIII Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Delegate of the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

1977-1987. Chairman of the Board of the Republican Society “Knowledge” of the Tajik SSR.

1977.Conferred the honorary title of Honored Worker of Science of the Tajik SSR.

1977-1996 President of the International Association for the Study of Cultures of Central Asia under UNESCO. Deputy Chairman of the Soviet Committee of Solidarity of Asian and African countries.

1977 Participation in the work of the XV International Congress on the History of Science [England].

1977 Speech at the XXI Plenum of the Committee of History and Philosophy, Natural Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences [Moscow].

1978 Participant of the Jubilee Seminar dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of SadriddinAini, held at the University of Humboldt [c. Berlin].

1978.Scientific report on “The importance of the scientific heritage of SadriddinAini” at the theoretical conference dedicated to the centenary of the birth of S. Aini [Moscow].

1978.Head of the delegation of the USSR Academy of Sciences to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Series of trips in 1978-1987 for establishment of the Academy of Sciences of the DRA.

1978. Participant of the scientific and practical conference “Scientific and technical progress and tasks for the further improving the nature protection and rational use of natural resources of Leninabad city” [Khujand].

1979. Laureate of the International Jawaharlal Nehru Prize. The award ceremony took place at the Embassy of India in Moscow, 1983.

1979. Elected a member of the Commission for the Nature Protection and Rational Use of Natural Resources of the Union Council of Supreme Soviet of the USSR.He was awarded the jubilee medal “60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR.” A Member of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 10th convocation.

1979. Participant of the jubilee scientific session of the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR.

1979. A Member of the 66th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Venezuela. He delivered a report on “Implementation of the UN Recommendation on Decolonization” [Caracas].

1979. Chairman of the Jubilee Committee of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great Eastern poet and thinker Muhammad Iqbal [Dushanbe].

1980. A Member of the meeting of the Editorial Committee on the preparation of the publication “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” [France].

Awarded the Order of Lenin.

1980. Participant of the All-Union Scientific Conference dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Abuali ibn Sino. He delivered a lecture on “Heritage of Abuali ibn Sino on Philosophy, Sociology, Ethics, Poetics and Music” [Moscow].

1980. Delegate of the IV Republican Conference of the Tajik Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, Dushanbe. Delegate of the First Congress of the Society for the Protection of History and Culture Memorials of the Tajik SSR [Dushanbe].

1980. A trip to the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen as a member of the official delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR [Aden].

1980. Member of the delegation of the Soviet Committee of Solidarity of Asian and African countries at the International Conference in Afghanistan. Head of the delegation of the Academy of Sciences during the visit to the DRA [Kabul].

1981. Participant of the International seminar dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Abuali ibn Sino. Delivered the report on “Avicenna and World Civilization” [Delhi]. Participant in the works of the Indo-Soviet Symposium “Science and Technology in India and Central Asia in the Middle Ages”. He delivered a report on “Problems of studying the history of scientific and technical ties between Soviet Central Asia and India “[Bombay].

1981. Participant of the XVI International Congress on the History of Science [Romania].

1981. Delegate of the XIX Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Delegate of the XXVI Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

1981. Participant of the celebrations dedicated to the Days of Literature and Art of the Uzbek SSR in the Tajik SSR. He delivered a report on “Friendship between the Tajik and Uzbek intellectuals” [Dushanbe].

1982. Participant of the meeting of the 69th Inter-parliamentary Council in the parliamentary delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR [Italy].

1982. Participant of the Joint Scientific Session of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian SSR, dedicated to the 1500th anniversary of Kiev city. Participant in the Jubilee Session of the General Meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the formation of the USSR [ Moscow].

1982. Trip to Afghanistan to provide advice and exchange views on the establishment of the Academy of Sciences of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

1983.A member of the All-Union Association of Orientalists.

1984. Elected a member of the Presidium of the Board of the Philosophical Society of the USSR.

1984. Participant of the 72nd Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union [Geneva].

1984.Deputy of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Council of the II convocation from Garm constituency of Tajikistan. He was awarded the medal “Veteran of Labor”.

1985. A Member of the International Drafting Committee for the preparation of the “History of Civilization of Central Asia” [ Paris].

1985. Member of the International Conference on the History and Culture of Central Asia in the Middle Ages [Almaty].

1985.A Member of the delegation of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR for signing a program of cooperation with the Indian National Academy of Sciences for 1985 [India].

1985. Participant of the session of the UNESCO International Drafting Committee for the preparation of the “History of the Civilization of Central Asia”.

1985. Head of the delegation of the USSR Academy of Sciences to participate in the conference on scientific cooperation between developed and developing countries. Participant of the conference on cooperation in science in the south-south and south-north, organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Third World countries [Trieste]. He read lectures in the “Italy-USSR” society in Rome and at the universities of Bologna and Venice.

1985. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree. He was awarded the jubilee medal “40 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”.

1985. A Member of the 74th Inter-Parliamentary Conference [Ottawa].

1986. Delegate of the XX Congress of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Delegate of the XXVII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

1986.A Member of the meeting of the UNESCO Drafting Committee for the preparation of the publication “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” [Paris].

1986.Trip to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan as a consultant on the establishment of the Academy of Sciences of the DRA [Kabul].

1988. Awarded the jubilee medal “70 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”.

1988. Participant of the First Congress of the Yemeni Movement for Peace and Solidarity.

1988. Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the III All-Union Conference of Orientalists on “Interaction and Interference of Cultures and Civilizations in the East”. Opening speech at the plenary meeting. Delivered a speech at the closing plenary session with a report on “Information on the activities of the Soviet Committee of IASCCA”.

1989-1996. Chairman of the Society for Scientific and Cultural Relations with Compatriots Abroad “Paivand”.

1989. Invited to India on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru. Participated in the Soviet-Indian seminar initiated by the Indian Center for Foreign Cultural Relations and the Nehru Memorial. He made a report on “Interrelations and interactions of cultures: Nehru’s view”. Participation in XII All-India Conference of experts in the Persian language and culture.

1989. Chairman of the organizing committee for the celebration of the 575th anniversary of the Tajik-Persian poet and thinker Abdurahman Jami.

1989. Participant of the 81st Inter-Parliamentary Conference [Budapest].

1989. Participant of the fourth session of the UNESCO International Scientific Committee for the preparation of the publication “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” [Paris].

1989. Chairman of the Organizing Committee and participant of the International Symposium “Borbad and Art Traditions of the Peoples of Central and Front Asia: History and Modernity”, dedicated to the 1400th anniversary of the founder of the classical system of Tajik-Persian professional music Borbad [Dushanbe].

1990. A Member of the Drafting Committee for the preparation of the “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” in Avila [Spain].

1990. Participant of the scientific session dedicated to the centenary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet orientalist, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences E. Bertels [Dushanbe].

1990. Participant of the UNESCO Baghdad Meeting on the Silk Road [Iraq]. Participant of the VII International Seminar on the Kushan Study on “Kushanids and the Silk Road” [Kabul].

1990. Opening speech at the 33rd scientific session “SolonaiAini” [Bukhara].

1990. Participant of the solemn meeting of the Great Academic Council, dedicated to the presentation of the Abu Ali ibn Sino International Prizeto the staff of the Tajik State Medical Institute named afterAbuali ibn Sino.

1990. Organizer and participant of the fifth session of the bureau of the International Scientific Committee for the preparation of the publication “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” [Dushanbe].

1991. Chairman of the organizing committee of the Jubilee, dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the birth of the founder of classical Uzbek literature, the scientist and thinker AlisherNavoi. He delivered an introductory speech at the scientific conference “Navoi and Tajik Literature” [Dushanbe].

1991. Participant of the VIII Meeting of the Bureau of the UNESCO International Commission on the new edition of the History of the International and Cultural Development of Mankind. Participation in the work of the session of the UNESCO International Scientific Committee on the preparation of the publication “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” [Paris].

1991. A Member of the meeting of the UNESCO International Advisory Committee on the Silk Road Project [Delhi].

1992 Participation in the work of the XVI session (12th convocation) of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan [Khujand].

1992 Participant of the meeting of the International Advisory Committee for the Integral Study of Silk Roads: Dialogue Roads [Delhi].

1992 -1993. Chairman of the organizing committee for holding the First and Second Forums of Tajik people in Dushanbe.

1995. Awarded with the medal “50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945”.

1995.Participant of the International Symposium on Karakorum-Hindukush-Himalayas: the dynamics of change [Islamabad]. He took part in the work of the Pakistan-German Symposium in Islamabad and delivered a report “From the History of Cultural Relations of Central Asia and Pakistan”. The report emphasized the role of the Farsi language, the primary carriers of which were Tajiks. The next day, a group of eminent scholars of Pakistan adopted a memorandum, emphasizing the historical role of the Farsi language and the necessity to resume learning this language in all schools of Pakistan. He read a lecture on the Tajik culture at Islamabad University.

1995. Participant of the International Forum “For Solidarity, Against Intolerance, for Dialogue of Cultures” [Tbilisi]. He took an active part in the work of the Central Asian Intelligentsia Forum [Tashkent].

1995. Participant of the Fifth European Seminar on the Study of Central Asia [Copenhagen].

1995. Participant of the fifth session of the International Scientific Committee for the preparation of the “History of Civilizations of Central Asia” in Beijing. At this session, he was again elected the President of the Committee and the President of the International Association for the Study of Cultures of Central Asia. The International Scientific Committee has included scientists from the following countries: Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, the USA, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, France, Japan. The composition of the Committee was approved by UNESCO Director-General. At the session, the manuscript of the first book of Volume IV of the History of Civilization of Central Asia was reviewed and recommended for publication, and prospectuses of V and VI volumes of History were reviewed as well, the composition of editors and authors of the corresponding chapters were approved accordingly.

1995. Participant of the First International Scientific and Practical Conference “Tajikistan: Geopolitics and Problems of International Relations”. Participant of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Russia in the historical destinies of the peoples of Central Asia. Principles of existence: yesterday, today, tomorrow”[Dushanbe]. He took part and made a report on the issues of culture, participated in scientific-practical conferences held in Khujand.

1995. He took part and made a report at the International Scientific Conference on the occasion of the anniversary of Mir Said Ali Hamadoni.

1996. Participant in the OSCE Workshop on Confidence Building in Central Asia[Dushanbe].

1996. [April, 16-25] The last trip of M.S. Asimov to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris: the recommendation to print the first book of Volume IV and the edition of a number of chapters of the second book of Volume IV of the History of Civilizations of Central Asia, an editorial review of the four chapters of Volume IV of the History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development (as co-editor). Participated in the work of the UNESCO seminar at the Sorbonne University on “Farsi Language in the Modern World” with the report “Farsi Language in Central Asia: the Past, the Present, and theFuture”. Participated in the UNESCO Conference “Culture of the Temur’s and Timurids Epoch” and delivered a speech about Timur’s personality in history.

1996. Chairman of the jubilee organizing committee for the celebration of the 675th anniversary of the classic of Tajik-Persian poetry KamoliKhujandi. Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Third World Tajiks Forum.