At the Znanie Society's educational lectures, the historical ties between the Nizhny Novgorod region and Iran were revealed.

      The Znanie Society organized educational events at the family eco-festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power.” Lecturers spoke about the historical ties between Iran and the Nizhny Novgorod Region and also conducted a training session to improve effectiveness.

      “We highly value our partnership with the Znanie Society, which organized a series of engaging lectures for our guests in a lively and accessible format. Each event attracted several dozen interested listeners. This cooperation is especially valuable: it awakens public interest in topical issues, broadens horizons and contributes to raising the general level of culture. We regard such educational interaction as an important constructive element of our work and plan to continue it,” said ArtLuga festival director Alexey Groza.

      Eraj Boev, director of the scientific and educational center for Oriental studies at the N. A. Dobrolyubov Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University, delivered a lecture titled “Mysteries of the East in Nizhny: How Iran Left Its Mark on the Nizhny Novgorod Region.”

      Listeners learned about the presence in the region in the distant past of archaeological cultures of the Indo‑Iranian circle, about the stay of a Persian embassy in Nizhny Novgorod in 1608–1613, about the activity of Iranian merchants in local trading venues, and about many other interesting facts of Nizhny Novgorod history connected with Iran.

      “Festival guests received the lecture’s topics with great interest and actively asked questions after the event. The audience included people of different ages and nationalities and with various professional backgrounds. This allows us to speak of the high demand for cultural and educational events that reveal the historical ties of the Nizhny Novgorod region with Iran and other countries friendly to Russia,” said Znanie Society lecturer Eraj Boev.

      The lecturer said that if one turns to the history of the Nizhny Novgorod region, one can find that it is closely linked to peoples of the Iranian language group. In the area of present‑day Navashino as early as the 2nd millennium BCE, tribes of the Pozdnyakov archaeological culture (a northern variety of the so‑called Srubnaya culture) lived; according to most scholars, this culture can be identified as of Indo‑Iranian origin. Before the arrival of the Slavs in the region, Iranian‑speaking ethnic groups closely interacted with the Finno‑Ugric population of the area.

      From the 14th century, contacts took place in the Nizhny Novgorod area between the local population and merchants from Iran and Bukhara who arrived via the Volga route. The Nizhny Novgorod Fair played a huge role in developing trade and cultural exchange between Iranian‑speaking peoples and the inhabitants of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Its significance for Iranian foreign trade was so great that until the first third of the 20th century the residence of the Imperial Persian Consul was located on its grounds in Nizhny Novgorod, and the consul’s district also included Kazan, Samara and Saratov. In the mid‑1850s, the Sormovo Works (the future Krasnoye Sormovo) built screw‑propeller marine steamships with telling names: Persian, Khivan, Kurd and Bukharan.

      In addition, festival guests attended a training session by Znanie Society lecturer Mikhail Shapkin. He taught listeners 10 habits that help one become an effective person. The lecturer noted that true effectiveness is not accidental but the result of a systematic approach to life. It begins with a clear understanding of the real reasons that motivate one to pursue a desired goal and clarity about the path to that goal. It is important to develop habits for managing your life: to plan, to be able to motivate others and control yourself, and to have skills in delegating tasks. One of the main tools of effectiveness today is the skill of concentration — the ability to keep focus on priority goals and tasks. The skill of reflection helps one analyze the process of achieving a goal and understand that one is on the right path to improving quality of life and attaining a new level of happiness.

      The eco‑festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power” is dedicated to art, ecology and care for nature and takes place in the Artemovskie Meadows natural area of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      “Znanie.Lectorium” is an educational project of the Znanie Society, within which lectures on a wide range of topics are held in every region of the Russian Federation: from microbiology and physics to the development of soft skills. Each federal subject can launch the initiative that is important to its residents. During the lectures young people can ask experts questions and discuss topical issues.

      Information about the events of the “Znanie.Lectorium” project can be found on the Znanie Society’s website. The Znanie Society is an educational organization that annually holds hundreds of events for youth across Russia: it organizes thousands of talks by outstanding figures from culture, art, science and history, holds scientific competitions, contests and quizzes, produces films and helps lecturers in our country to be heard and find their audience.

      Since its relaunch the Znanie Society’s community of lecturers has brought together more than 30,000 people. They have given over 180,000 lectures in 89 regions of the Russian Federation. Some 8,100 hours of educational content have been created on a wide range of topics: science, technology, space, culture and art, history, medicine, sports and others. Online broadcasts of Znanie’s educational events and educational video content have amassed more than 2.3 billion views.

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      More news about the event:

      - At the Znanie Society’s educational lectures, the historical ties between the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Iran were revealed. The Znanie Society organized educational events at the family eco‑festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power.” 14:14 12.08.2025 NTA‑Privolzhye — Nizhny Novgorod

      - At the Znanie Society’s educational lectures, the historical ties between the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Iran were revealed. Photo: Russian Znanie Society. The Znanie Society organized educational events at the family eco‑festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power.” 14:06 12.08.2025 Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region — Nizhny Novgorod

      - The Znanie Society revealed the historical ties of the Nizhny Novgorod Region with Iran. The Znanie Society organized educational events at the family eco‑festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power.” 14:04 12.08.2025 Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Nizhny Novgorod

      - At the Znanie Society’s educational lectures, the historical ties between the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Iran were revealed. The Znanie Society organized educational events at the family eco‑festival “ArtLuga — Place of Power.” 13:58 12.08.2025 Vadsky Municipal District — Vad

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