On June 23, our colleague and friend Eduard Salmanovich Kulpin-Gubaidullin, a well-known expert on the history of human-nature relations in the Far East and Russia, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, died suddenly.

Eduard Salmanovich was a senior researcher at the Center for Research on General Problems of the Modern East of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman (since 1995) of the Scientific Council on Socio-Natural History at the Academy of Urban Environment, member (since 1998) of the Council on Civilizations at the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, founder and editor-in-Chief (since 2005) of the scientific journal "History and sovremennost", winner of the Bekir Choban-zade International Prize (2011). In 2009, he was awarded the medal "For Spiritual Unity"by the Council of Muftis of Russia.

Eduard Salmanovich was distinguished by a real creative indefatigability. During 46 years of scientific activity, he has written and published more than 300 scientific texts. The historiography of his works has yet to be written. But now it is worth recalling that he was the author of such books as " Man and Nature in China "(Moscow: Nauka, 1990), " The Path of Russia "(Moscow: Moscow Lyceum, 1995, Moscow: URSS, 2008), "Bifurcation West-East" (Moscow: Moscow Lyceum, 2008). 1996) and, of course, repeatedly reprinted, which, despite its strict compliance with the genre of scientific monograph, won a wide readership of the book about the Golden Horde (first edition: Golden Horde

Orda, Moscow: Moscow Lyceum Publ., 1998). In the last year of his life, he prepared and published a multi-genre book " Socio-natural History. From method to theory, from theory to practice", which, according to the author himself, has absorbed the best of what he created during the entire existence of his favorite scientific project.

This project, which bore the imprint of E. S. Kulpin's bright personality from its very inception, is a socio - natural history or the history of the interaction and coexistence of two worlds, the world of nature and the world of man. During its development, Eduard Salmanovich managed, in fact, to create a new scientific direction; and he also became its tireless popularizer, creator and permanent executive editor of the series "Socio-Natural History" (38 issues!). From year to year, he held conferences on socio-natural history in his beloved Crimea, bringing together not only those who fully shared his ideas, eventually forming a whole community of" socio-naturalists", but also those who were skeptical of these ideas. For even skeptics succumbed to the peculiar "contagion effect" that emanated from Eduard Salmanovich; in him, the passion for what he loved was organically combined with the charm of a man whom many who knew him closely lovingly called simply Edik.

Indeed, until his sudden death, Eduard Salmanovich remained a young man inwardly. Past years have not imposed the burden of age-related conservatism on his human qualities: and at the age of 75, he was mobile as a young man, full of ideas and plans, plans and hopes, full of life and energy more than many thirty-year-olds. It seemed that he would remain forever young, holding conferences and field research in his beloved Crimea, publishing his own magazine, delighting his family and friends, and everyone who knew him, with his amazing ability to live and create easily, without any visible strained effort. Like singing...

Eduard Kulpin will always remain in our memory a very kind and sympathetic person, open to people and new ideas.

COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS, AND STUDENTS