Crossroad of Cultures

The Department of Preliminary Education of Foreign Citizens of ASU has arranged a thematic walk up and down Astrakhan’s historic center for its students who came from a large number of countries.

The walk began with the Astrakhan Preserve Museum of History & Culture. Each of its exhibits was a real surprise for our foreign students. They paid special attention to the exhibition “Astrakhan Region in Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries”: walking up and down the Museum, they made a whole virtual journey throughout various periods of Astrakhan’s history.

After visiting the Museum, our students have been on a general excursion up and down Astrakhan’s central streets. The Armenian, Indian, and Persian Merchant Inns were especially remarkable for them, as they reminded them of the Orient. As a culmination of the thematic event, they went to the Astrakhan Kremlin, where they could enjoy its beautiful architecture and decoration, as well as its temples and churches. What our foreign students perceived as an especially remarkable thing was an exceptional combination of the Occident and the Orient throughout the history of our city – a real combination, not a confrontation, which is of great value for our students, for whom the city of Astrakhan has become their second home for several years of their studies.

Russian original information and photo source: the Department of Preliminary Education of Foreign Citizens of ASU