On December 22, 2008, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the Russian-Iranian International conference " Russia and Iran. History and Modernity", which was attended by teachers and undergraduates of the University of Tehran, representatives of the Moscow scientific community, employees of the Embassy of Iran in the Russian Federation and the Cultural Representation of Iran in Russia, as well as students and postgraduates of Moscow universities. The conference featured 24 reports, in which the authors tried to cover a wide range of issues related to political, economic and cultural relations between Russia and Iran, both at the present stage and in retrospect.

The report of Abuzar Ebrahimi Torkaman (Head of the Cultural Representation at the Iranian Embassy in Russia) analyzed the problem of cultural relations between Russia and Iran. He noted that cultural relations between the two countries are about four hundred years old, their history has had ups and downs, but this process has never been interrupted and is actively developing in our time. Noting the importance of cultural diplomacy, which promotes mutual familiarization of peoples with their cultural and civilizational traditions, A. E. Torkaman stressed that, according to many scientists, in the modern world, culture is the fourth basic element of foreign policy and, in many cases, economy and defense. The speaker believes that cultural diplomacy is the exchange of ideas, information, achievements in the field of art and lifestyle, a system of values, traditions and beliefs in order to achieve common understanding and strengthen relations between peoples and States.

Jahangir Karami (Tehran University) analyzed the current state of Iranian-Russian relations. In his opinion, over the past 20 years, relations between the two countries have become more balanced, which is explained by the presence of mutual interests in the historical past of the two countries and the emergence of a new geopolitical situation. As a result, an atmosphere has emerged in Iran for real cooperation with Russia based on mutual interests and initiatives. Referring to the geopolitical factor, J. Karami noted that in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR and the return of Russia to the borders of the XVIII century, cooperation between the two countries received a new direction.-

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The contract for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Bushehr with the help of Russian specialists was a proof of this "without fear or suspicion". An important point is the formation of so-called buffer zones and zones of presence and influence of other powers due to the remoteness of the Russian borders from Iran (in the Caucasus, in the Caspian region and in Central Asia), which also contributes to creating the ground for cooperation between the two countries, including on the problems of the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus and Central Asia, As well as Afghanistan, both at the bilateral level and within the framework of international organizations such as the SCO, J. Karami also draws attention to the fact that serious work is being done on this issue in the research centers created in Iran over the past 20 years to study Russia.

The report of L. M. Kulagina (Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was devoted to the state of Russian-Iranian relations at the present stage, primarily in the field of peaceful nuclear energy. In her opinion, the nuclear issue has occupied a central place in relations between the two countries since 2000. It was during this period that Russia withdrew from the secret US-Russian agreement on Iran, concluded in 1995, according to which it pledged to significantly limit its assistance and assistance to Iran in mastering nuclear technologies, and took a number of practical steps to complete the construction of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, began to actively develop military-technical cooperation with Iran. The international community has politically supported Iran in creating an exclusively peaceful nuclear program. This contributed to the development of Russian-Iranian relations and bringing them to a new level. Such actions of Russia were dictated in many respects by the desire to strengthen its shaky position in the 90s of the XX century. After the Gulf War and the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the situation in the Middle East and Central Asia changed. Iran has significantly strengthened its position in these regions. Its nuclear program was necessary to ensure its sovereignty and status as the largest regional power capable of rallying all segments of Iranian society around the country's leadership. Despite Russia's dissatisfaction with Iran's hostile rhetoric in negotiations with the EU and the United States on the nuclear issue and its refusal to establish a joint venture on the territory of the Russian Federation for uranium enrichment, in 2006 it helped Iran launch its own satellite and signed a multi-billion dollar contract for the supply of advanced air defense systems to Iran. In addition, Iran and Russia agreed on gas prices and divided their sales markets: Russia to Europe, Iran to India and China. I think that cooperation between the two countries in the above-mentioned areas is important for Russia from an economic, political and purely commercial point of view.

Issues of regional cooperation between Iran and Russia at the present stage were covered in the report of V. I. Yurtaev (RUDN University). The author noted that Russia and Iran have a historic chance to jointly participate in the formation of a new model of regional cooperation, and this is not a geopolitical union of the two countries, since the political risks are too high, although this scenario gives Russia control over a significant part of the Iranian "big space" - from the Mediterranean to Afghanistan and Central Asia inclusive. Also, the scenarios of partnership with Iran within the framework of an alliance with the world of Islam are hardly suitable for Russia simply because of their obvious utopian nature. At the same time, both Russia and Iran cannot implement continental geo-economic projects without each other, which have an obvious future for Central Eurasian integration, and this is happening in the context of the general actualization of the geopolitical significance of continental Russia and Iran in the XXI century. In the context of globalization, the continental matrix of the Great Silk Road is also becoming increasingly relevant. According to the speaker, in the medium term, the SCO countries are expected to strengthen regional integration of the domestic market and increase domestic transportation. Expanding the geography and range of transport services will help drive rapid economic growth on a high-tech and innovative basis in areas linked to international/regional transport corridors. The humanitarian component and the human factor are of high priority in this process.

Several reports were devoted to specific issues of Russian-Iranian cooperation. Thus, the subject of the analysis of A. I. Polishchuk (IB RAS) was the relationship between the Russian Federation and Iran in the field of transport. It was noted that transport cooperation between the two countries is carried out in accordance with the "Memorandum of Intent on the development of long-term trade, Economic, industrial, scientific and Technical cooperation between the two countries".-

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On October 13-14, 2008, the second meeting of the Russian-Iranian working group on transport was held, at which the parties considered current and prospective issues of bilateral relations in this area. Currently, the Trans-Caspian route is the main one in terms of cargo volume. In 2007, exports accounted for 99% of its total traffic structure, imports for 0.4%, and transit for 0.6%. Moreover, the volume of Russian export cargo transported in connection with Iran amounted to 5.5 million tons. The bulk of this cargo flow is ferrous metals, mineral fertilizers, coke and petroleum, timber and grain cargo, and construction materials. The volume of transportation of imported goods, namely non-ferrous metal ores, and food cargo from Iran to Russia amounted to only 34 thousand tons in 2007.

The report of E. A. Musina (MGIMO University)was devoted to the problem of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iran MINISTRY OF Foreign Affairs OF THE Russian Federation). She traced in detail the history of Russian-Iranian military-technical cooperation since the beginning of the 20th century. In 2000. Iran has started implementing a 25-year program of rearmament of the country's Armed Forces, which mainly focuses on Russian-made weapons and military equipment. It should be noted that currently Russia and Iran have both common geopolitical interests and interests in the sphere of bilateral relations. Iran sees Russia as a state that can be counted on in acute situations in the process of establishing Tehran's positions in the region and in the world as a whole. Iran is a potential ally in solving regional problems and an important partner in the field of military-technical cooperation. According to the speaker, cooperation between Iran and Russia in the military-technical sphere is not limited to the supply of weapons and military equipment. Modernization of Iran's existing complex of Russian military equipment and major repairs of weapons previously delivered from the Russian Federation, the creation of a service center for servicing MiG-29 and Su-24MK aircraft, as well as a training center for training crews for T-72S tanks are also considered promising areas. At the end of the report, E. A. Musina noted that in the future, Russia has every chance to become a partner of Iran within the framework of the military concept of its national security.

Somaye Pasandideh (University of Tehran) considered the problem of Russian-Iranian cooperation in the implementation of the North-South international transport Corridor (ITC). Among many transit routes, only the North-South MTC has, according to the author of the report, economic and political universality, since the transportation time is reduced by almost half, and the savings in currency terms for the owners of goods is about 40%. The corridor passes through territories remote from areas of military conflict, has a wide coverage of areas where about 1.3 billion people live. people, or 1.5% of the world's population. The legal basis for the implementation of the North-South Transport Corridor concept was laid on September 12, 2000 during the Second Eurasian Transport Conference, when Russia, India and Iran signed an intergovernmental agreement on the creation of an international transport corridor that will connect the countries of northern Europe through the Caspian Sea and Iran with the countries of the Indian Ocean basin. The North-South International Transport Corridor increases the volume of transit of goods between Pakistan, India, the Indian Ocean basin countries, Russia and Central Asia. It also promotes the development of cooperation between the ports of Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan located on the Caspian Sea, and the generation of additional revenues by countries located along the corridor. The use of different types of cargo transportation in the project contributes to strengthening the economies of many countries, increasing production in them and developing the service sector. It is important that in 2001 Kazakhstan, Belarus, Oman, Tajikistan, Syria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan joined the agreement on the North-South Transport Corridor. Bulgaria, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine have also expressed a desire to join the treaty.

S. B. Druzhilovsky's report (MGIMO University)was devoted to the political aspect of relations between Iran and Russia in resolving the Afghan crisisMINISTRY OF Foreign Affairs OF THE Russian Federation). The author tried to highlight the common interests that led to the convergence of positions of Iran and Russia on the issue of the Afghan settlement, as well as those differences that may later complicate mutual understanding between the parties in this matter. The unifying factors include, first of all, the threat of international terrorist organizations operating on the territory of Afghanistan, which both countries are aware of. While the Taliban were in power, Iran and Russia provided assistance to the Northern Alliance that opposes them. Both countries are also interested in the complete elimination of the production and distribution of narcotic drugs from the territory of Afghanistan. However, they are not interested in resolving uregu issues-

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In the long-term perspective, the situation in Afghanistan will be controlled by States outside the region. Iran and Russia also fear the implementation of plans to transfer Caspian oil and gas to the Indian Ocean without taking into account their interests. There are not so many disagreements between Iran and Russia, but in the future they can have a negative impact on the development of relations between the two states and therefore require some attention and readiness to coordinate positions. So, Iran categorically opposes the presence of NATO troops and the American military presence in Afghanistan and in the region as a whole. Russia is currently taking a more flexible position, and the question of withdrawing American troops and those of their allies has not yet been raised.

Saeed Seifi (University of Tehran) considered the problem of security in the Caucasus from the point of view of the interests of Iran and Russia. The recent Russian-Georgian standoff in South Ossetia has confirmed the instability of the situation in the region and the potential for it to turn into an arena of rivalry between regional states with the participation of great Powers. The Caucasus currently occupies a special place in the foreign policy of many states, primarily because of its geopolitical position as a gateway to Europe. In addition, the Caucasus has a great economic attractiveness due to its large mineral reserves and the possibility of transporting oil and gas from this region and the Caspian basin region to Europe. Naturally, relations with the Caucasian republics are a priority in Russia's foreign policy. European countries and the United States are also paying special attention to the Caucasus region, since the United States can only put pressure on Russia and Iran by penetrating the region. Since it is clear that any conflict poses a threat to the national interests of all countries in the region, it is necessary for all of them to participate in the development and implementation of a legal framework to ensure sustainable security. In terms of both economic development and military potential, Iran and Russia are the most powerful states in the region and can play key roles here. The common positions of Iran and Russia, according to the speaker, are primarily disinterested in the expansion of NATO to the Caucasus, preserving the peaceful status of the Caspian Sea, and excluding the military presence of non-Caspian states in the Caspian Sea.

N. A. Filin (RSUH) studied the situation concerning the level of terrorist threats in Russia and Iran. Thus, in 2008, according to the author, Russia and Iran experienced the terrorist threat from radical groups in different ways. In Russia, there was a slight increase in the number of terrorist attacks compared to 2007, although it occurred only in the last four months, which was due to both the war in South Ossetia and the global financial crisis. Iran, on the other hand, has seen a decrease in terrorist attacks over the past year, but an increase in the number of victims. This was facilitated by the emergence of a number of ethnic terrorist organizations on the territory of Iran, sponsored by the United States and its allies, and the tightening of terrorist methods, the organization of contract killings, armed attacks and hostage-taking. The presence of such trends suggests that in the near future, both Russia and Iran will not be able to completely get rid of the terrorist threat.

A block of reports was devoted to the current economic relations between Russia and Iran. N. M. Mammadova (Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) considered the problem of development of economic relations between Iran and Russia in the context of the economic crisis. She noted that these relations are gaining momentum, which is a reflection of the coinciding economic interests. Russia supplies Iran with a variety of products, and this allows it to diversify its exports, and not oil. So, if in 2005-2006 the trade turnover between our countries was 2.1 billion dollars, in 2007 it has already grown to 3.3 billion dollars, including Russian supplies to Iran reached almost 3 billion dollars. However, the main thing for both countries is not so much trade as economic cooperation, which has a good prospect. According to the speaker, Iran and Russia are interested in implementing joint energy projects and forming pipeline routes. Iran is a more attractive object of cooperation for Russia than other countries in the region, as it has a fairly significant economic potential and a fairly diversified economy. In a crisis situation, according to Mammadova, cooperation in the field of transport may also be mutually beneficial. Since the state's participation in the economy increases in times of crisis, and both in Russia and Iran the state is a monopoly in the transport infrastructure, this circumstance can play a positive role in the implementation of new projects.

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transport projects. It should be noted that it is precisely large-scale and labor-intensive projects, such as transport projects, that can significantly reduce the negative effect of reduced investment activity in the private sector and reduce the degree of social tension as a result of unemployment.

The report of Zainab Najafi (University of Tehran) on energy cooperation between Russia and Iran focused on the relations between the two countries in the oil and gas sector, in the field of electric power and nuclear energy. It was noted that an important milestone in the development of relations between Iran and the Russian Federation was the Agreement on the Fundamentals of Relations and Principles of Cooperation signed by the Presidents of the two countries on March 12, 2001 in Moscow, and on October 16, 2007 issues of cooperation in the field of energy resources extraction and transportation were discussed. Cooperation between Russia and Iran in the oil and gas sector will allow the parties to realize the powerful economic potential of both countries. The best guarantees for this can be joint construction of oil and gas facilities, joint marketing projects for the sale of hydrocarbons in third countries, for example, the creation of a kind of gas OPEC, coordination of efforts in the world oil and gas markets. As for the electric power industry, the protocol on the organization of parallel operation of Iran's energy systems with the unified energy system of Russia, signed by Iran, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, will create the basis for the operation of unified energy systems in the area from the Baltic to the Arabian Seas. Iran certainly expects to use the interconnection of energy systems to export its electricity to world markets and for its transit.

The subject of the analysis of the report of V. I. Sazhin (IB RAS) was the problem of creating a "gas OPEC". The speaker noted that the idea of its creation is not new and belongs to Qatar, and at the SCO summit in Shanghai in 2006, Iran was already actively interested in it. Iran currently needs "gas OPEC" as one of the instruments of political struggle with the West. According to the speaker, a number of factors should be taken into account when forming the global gas market. This is the unreality of encircling vast territories with multi-kilometer pipelines. In addition, the transit of natural gas through the territories of third countries is associated with tariffs and taxes. Finally, gas markets are extremely fragmented, and long-term contracts for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are becoming paramount. Already, the LNG market is dominated by producers such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Algeria, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, and in the future, Russia, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, and Peru may join the "club of 12 LNG exporting countries". It can be said that both now and in the coming years, the emergence of a rigidly structured organization like OPEC in the gas market is unlikely for a number of reasons. First, today relatively small volumes of gas are sold on market conditions, secondly, there is no "gas exchange" regulating prices, thirdly, gas is produced, sold and consumed not on a global basis, but mainly on a regional basis, and fourthly, some of the largest gas producers are not yet ready to merge in the strict framework of a gas cartel like OPEC oil.

Two reports analyze the positions of Russia and Iran on the status of the Caspian Sea.

Thus, the report of Shirin Abuzar (University of Tehran) stated that up to now the legal regime of the Caspian Sea is determined by the Treaty between the RSFSR and Persia of February 26, 1921. and the Treaty on Trade and Navigation between the USSR and Iran of March 25, 1940, and for 18 years, despite changes in the geopolitical situation in this region and attempts being made, this issue has not been resolved. In February 1992, at the initiative of Tehran, the Organization for Cooperation of the Caspian Littoral States was established, and within its framework the parties developed a draft treaty on improving the legal regime of the Caspian Sea. However, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Caspian littoral states in Moscow on October 11-12, 1994, showed a divergence of views on this issue and highlighted two diametrically opposite ones. Russia, Iran and Turkmenistan supported the joint use of the Caspian Sea, while Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan sought to divide it into national sectors, which in fact meant establishing state borders at sea. The first summit of the heads of the Caspian littoral states in Ashgabat on April 23-24, 2002 also failed to produce concrete results. In the Declaration of the second Summit of the Caspian littoral States held in Tehran on October 16, 2007, it was specifically noted that only the littoral States have sovereign rights.-

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The parties expressed their determination to ensure consistency in the regimes of navigation, fishing, and navigation of vessels exclusively under the flags of the Caspian littoral States in the sea area. Since the Caspian Sea is currently attracting the attention of new "players", Iran and Russia intend to create a special group to overcome the existing contradictions between the Caspian littoral states and prevent other countries, such as the United States and the EU, from participating in solving problems in the region. I. Islamov's report(MGIMO University) on the problems of economic cooperation in the Caspian region and the participation of Russia and Iran in it notes that it develops mainly in two directions - the use of the resources of the Caspian basin and the creation of transport corridors. Since the legal status of the Caspian Sea has not yet been determined, it would be premature to talk about the results of the first one, but the second one - the transportation of energy resources - is already relevant, since oil production in coastal fields is ongoing and increasing. The speaker notes the importance of the political component in solving this problem. On the one hand, Iran is the only Caspian country with access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and the most convenient route to the Arab countries runs through its territory. On the other hand, Russia also seeks to strengthen its position in the field of transportation of Caspian oil. Finally, Western powers interested in undermining Russia's monopoly position in the region in the field of oil transportation supported the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, which was commissioned in July 2006, despite the political instability in the region and the cost of the project. Since mid-2004, the utilization of the Russian oil system of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has reached the limit of its technical capabilities, and in March 2005 an agreement was reached to increase the capacity of the pipeline from 28 to 67 million tons per year and the tariff for pumping from $27 to $29.5 per ton. Iran, for its part, offers to transport oil through its territory according to a substitution scheme, i.e. oil enters the Iranian port of Neka on the Caspian coast, and then Iran ships the same amount of oil in the Persian Gulf, which helps reduce the cost of transportation from $ 20-22 to $ 16. per ton. This project is viewed negatively by the United States, which seeks to limit Iran's access to the global economy and politics, but attracts Russia and Kazakhstan. For Russia, in particular, this project is attractive for reducing costs and the possibility of entering the Asian oil market. However, it should be borne in mind that the relations between Iran and Russia in the Caspian region are very contradictory and complicated, they can be considered both competitive and allied, and the latter are manifested primarily when non-Caspian states interfere in solving the problems of the Caspian Sea.
Several reports were devoted to the problems of actively developing cultural relations between the Russian Federation and Iran.

Author of the report on cultural relations between Iran and Russia after the collapse of the USSR Elahe Karimi Riabi (University of Tehran) believes that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the beginning of a new stage in the development of cultural relations between the two countries, but at the same time, within the framework of bilateral relations, Iran is much more active in Russia than the latter in Iran. The 1990s were a period of strengthening relations between Iran and Russia, culminating in the opening of a Cultural representation at the Iranian Embassy in Moscow in 1999. A new page in relations between the two countries was opened by the visit of Iranian President Khatami to Moscow in 2001, during which agreements on bilateral cooperation were signed. Following the protocol on cooperation between the two countries signed in 2004, cultural weeks were held in Tehran and Moscow, meetings of delegations of the Orthodox Church of Russia and the Muslim clergy of Iran were organized, and a delegation of the Orthodox Church participated in the conference "Dialogue of Religions". Theater groups from Rossini and Russian films were presented at the Fajr International Festival, centers of Iranian studies and Persian language were opened in various regions of Russia, and exhibitions "Islam in Russia" were held in 2007. In Tehran, the Russian-Iranian Friendship Society was established, student and scientific exchanges were organized, and so on. Among the important events should also include the holding of a ceremony in Tehran dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pushkin. In 2004, the "Chekhov Week" was held in Tehran in connection with the 100th anniversary of Chekhov's death, and in 2006, in honor of the millennium of the founding of the city of Kazan, an exhibition of photography and others was opened in the Tehran International House of Culture.

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M. R. Arunova (IB RAS) in her report drew attention to the problem of scientific and cultural ties between Iran and Russia and noted the successful development of cooperation between the two countries in these areas. It is of interest, for example, in the field of education. Thus, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation regularly allocates state scholarships for the admission of Iranian citizens to study at Russian universities to assist in the training of national personnel. So, 20 such scholarships were allocated for the 2008/09 academic year. The speaker also notes the holding of various scientific conferences, seminars, and Olympiads on Iranian issues, including jointly with Iranian colleagues. As for the sphere of culture, there is also a wide field for expanding cooperation. For example, only in 2007 the exhibition "Islam in Russia" was organized in Tehran, concerts of the Russian ensemble of Muslim sacred music "Medina" were held, and performances of the theater "School of Modern Plays"were held. Russian films have also repeatedly received high awards at film festivals held in Iran.

M. S. Kameneva (IV RAS) devoted her report to the history of Persian language learning in Russia, both in theoretical and practical aspects and in three time sections-before 1917, during the Soviet period and after the collapse of the USSR. She noted that the study of individual living Iranian languages for practical purposes began in Russia in the first half of the 18th century, which was dictated by the interests of developing economic and diplomatic ties with Iran. During the reign of Peter I, the first cadres of translators from the Persian language appeared in Russia. By the beginning of the 19th century, systematic teaching of the Persian language began to be carried out in Russian higher educational institutions. And this tradition has not been interrupted to this day. Initially, scientific research focused on the comparative analysis of the Persian language and other Iranian languages, writing grammars of the Persian language by such authors as A. Bakikhanov, I. N. Berezin, K. G. Zaleman and V. A. Zhukovsky. The Soviet period was characterized by the expansion of the geography of teaching the Persian language and an increase in the range of research in Persian linguistics. The theoretical study of the Persian language has moved from writing grammars, describing a living language and dialects to analyzing phonetics, vocabulary, phraseology and syntax by a whole galaxy of outstanding Russian scientists-Iranists-V. S. Rastorguyeva, L. S. Peisikov, A. N. Bogolyubov, Yu. A. Rubinchik and many others. The main centers of teaching Persian were Moscow State University, Leningrad State University, MGIMO, the Military Institute, as well as higher educational institutions in the Central Asian republics (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the republics of Transcaucasia). In the post-Soviet period, the Persian language is taught in RUDN University, RSUH, RGLU and Eastern University, as well as higher educational institutions in Astrakhan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Alania (North Ossetia). In comparison with the significant positive developments in the field of practical development of the Persian language in the field of its scientific description, according to the speaker, there is a certain decline, which is primarily due to the lack of young personnel ready to work in the field of science.

Nahide Kalashi (Tehran University), having made an excursion into the history of literary relations between Russia and Iran, dwelt in detail on the problem of the influence of Russian literature on Persian. Acquaintance with Russian literature and its study in Iran is connected with the beginning of the study of the Russian language in the country, which occurred during the reign of Fathali Shah, and under Reza Shah at the beginning of the XX century.the first missionary school for the study of the Russian language was opened in Tabriz. This was due to the close contacts between Iran and Russia at that time. The first translations from Russian to Persian date back to the time of the bourgeois Revolution: These were the stories of L. Tolstoy, M. Gorky, A. Chekhov, N. Gogol and I. Krylov's fables, published in the famous magazines "Payame nou" and "Sohan" and had a great influence on the development of Persian literature. A. Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit" in 1900, N. Gogol's "The Inspector General" in 1910 (from Turkish), The Queen of Spades, The Captain's Daughter, and A. Pushkin's "Shot" were translated into Persian, and such famous literary figures as Sadegh Hedayat acted as translators and Kazem Ansari. During the first Iranian Revolution (Mashrute), the beautiful works of Jamal-Zadeh, Sadegh Hedayat, Sadegh Chubek, Bozorg Alavi and many others clearly show the influence of Russian literature. According to Nahide Kalashi, "The Queen of Spades" has passed four editions in Iran, "Young Lady-peasant" - three, "Shot" - four. The Prisoner of the Caucasus was published twice, and a short prose retelling of Eugene Onegin is included in the Iranian Encyclopedia. According to the speaker, realistic trends in the Persian literature-

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rathurs, democratic and humanistic ideals that are reflected in modern Persian prose and poetry, were undoubtedly formed under the influence of Pushkin and other representatives of Russian literature.

A special place among the reports on cultural issues is occupied by the report of Yu. A. Averyanov (IB RAS) on the ritual aspects of the activities of Sufi fraternities in Iran in the XVII-XIX centuries. according to Russian and European travelers. Among them, the author of the report notes the Russian merchant Fedot Kotov, as well as Olearius, Tavernier and Chardin, whose attention was attracted by the culture and spiritual life of Iran at that time. Of great interest to them and many others were the numerous holy sites scattered on the way to Isfahan, the famous ancient cemetery in the vicinity of Derbent with unusual grave buildings, where, according to legend, the "forty slain princes" who were revered as saints were buried, the tombs of Persian saints in the lands of Shirvan. Travelers described the ceremonies held at the meeting of Nowruz and religious holidays, mourning processions on the days of Ashura, a kind of female cult that consisted of pilgrimage to the tombs in the mountains, where on the days of remembrance of certain saints they beat their heads on the threshold, kissed the tombstone, and wept, since women, as a rule, did not go to the mosque. Travelers describe in sufficient detail the official cult of saints in Ardabil, where the tomb of Sheikh Safi ad-Din, the founder of the Safavid house and his famous descendants, was located, as well as the Sufi monasteries of Isfahan and other centers in the empire.
Summing up the results of the conference, N. M. Mammadova stressed that they confirmed the correctness of the chosen topic, and the discussions that took place set up a positive mood. Our Iranian colleagues suggested making such conferences traditional and organizing the next meeting in Iran at the University of Tehran in 2009.

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