Aleksandr L. Kun

Alexander Ludvigovich Kuhn (; 184021 October 1888) was a Russian orientalist of German-Armenian descent, and likely the first university-educated Russian orientalist to serve in the administration of Konstantin von Kaufman in Russian Turkestan.

Biography In 1860, Kuhn began studying Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg Imperial University.

The most significant period of his career was his service in Central Asia, where he worked on behalf of the Turkestan Governorate-General. He accompanied military campaigns to Kītāb of Shahrisabz, Iskanderkul, Kokand, and Khiva, during which he collected manuscripts, archives, and other historical materials. A large number of the manuscripts he gathered were sent to the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg; others remained in his personal possession until after his death, when they were donated to the Asiatic Museum.

Kuhn died on 21 October 1888.

Turkestan Album Kuhn is best known as the principal compiler of the Turkestan Album, commissioned by Konstantin von Kaufman, the first Governor-General of Russian Turkestan. The album, produced in 1871–72, is a visual survey of Central Asia comprising around 1,200 photographs, along with architectural plans, watercolour drawings, and maps.

Kuhn compiled the first three parts of the album: the archaeological description of ancient monuments, ethnographic observations, and an account of Central Asian industries. The albums were formerly referred to as the Kun Collection. Sets were distributed to Tsar Alexander II, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Geographical Society, and the Turkestan Public Library in Tashkent, among others.