NOTES OF RUSSIAN TEACHERS FROM THE NAZARETH SEMINARY OF IOPS: OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN 1889-1895
The network of educational institutions created by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) in the Middle East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries has become the most successful humanitarian project of the Russian Empire in this region. The educational institutions of the IOPS contributed to the formation of the sphere of intensive intercultural Russian-Arab dialogue. Dozens of Russian educated people for many years became closely connected to this region. Due to the achievements of Russian teachers who managed to blend into Arab society and succeed in its professional environment, the IOPS educational project was of a great success. The success of each teacher depended on his/her ability to improve personal development skills and evolve in unusual conditions. Notes of1889-1895 reveal the inner world of Russian teachers: their observations, religious experiences, reflections, hobbies and ways to overcome culture shock. Traveling, history, singing, literature, photography - these are just some hobbies of Russian teachers. «Letters from Palestine» (series of articles by M.I. Ovchinnikov was published in the small provincial newspaper «Pskov City Leaflet (Listok)» in 1893-1895) was completely forgotten. No information has been found that any contemporary researchers mentioned these articles as a source. «Walks on Palestine» by A.I. Yakubovich are known to the researchers, however, no special studies have been carried out on the personality of the author (the first inspector of IOPS schools in the Middle East) and his works.