MINORSKY, Vladimir (Vladimir Fëdorovič Minorskij). Korčeva, obl. Tver 6.12.1877 — Cambridge 25.3.1966. Russian Persian Scholar in the U.K. Professor in London. Son of Fëdor Minorskij and Olga Golabickaja. Educated in Moscow and in 1896-1900 studied law at Moscow (graduated), then three years at Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages preparing for diplomatic career. First visit to Persia in 1902. In Russian diplomatic service 1904-1919 (1904-08, 1911, 1915-17 in Persia), then emigrated to France (from 1923 taught Persian at É.L.O.V.) and in the early 1930s to England. Teaching at S.O.A.S.: 1932 Lecturer, 1933 Reader, 1937 Professor of Persian Studies. Retired in 1944, settled in Cambridge. In 1948-49 at Fuad University in Cairo. He was a specialist of Persian and Central Asian history of the early Islamic period. Hon. dr. Brussels 1948. Never returned to Russia after revolution. Married 1913 Tatjana Šebunina (1894–1987, assisted her husband in his work), one son.

Publications: Many works on Persian and Central Asian history, on Persian and Kurdish.

– “Les tsiganes Lulī et les Lurs persans”, JA 218, 1931, 281-305.

– Sharaf al-Zamān Ṭāhir Marvazī on China, the Turks and India. 170+53 p. L. 1942.

– Iranica: Twenty articles. 26+322 p. Publ. de l’Univ. de Tehran 775. Hertford 1964 (with his bibliography upto 1962).

Sources: *C.E. Bosworth, A Century of British Orientalists 1902–2002. Oxford 2001, 202-218; Bosworth, Encyclop. Iranica 2004 (online); *J.A. Boyle, J. of Asian Hist. 1, 1967, 86-89; *D. M. Lang, BSOAS 29, 1966, 694-699; JRAS 1967; NAA 1966:6, 150-153; Wikipedia with photo.