April
Szapszal Seraya Markovich, 1873-1961
He was born in Bakhchisaray. Studied at St Petersburg University, where he completed Ph. D studies in philology and Oriental Languages, served as a personal tutor to the Iranian crown–prince, Muhammad Ali, and when he ascended the peacock–throne in 1907, Szapszal became a minister. In 1911 he left Persia and became in 1915 Chief Haham of all Crimean Karaite communities. In 1927-1939 he served as ecclesiastic Head of the Karaites of Poland.
In 1941 he protected Karaites against German race laws. In 60-es he became Professor (Dr. Sci) in Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He and Haham Simon A. Firkovich founded Karaiteos Paroda - First Karaite Museum in Trakai. He was a co-author of a Karaite–Russian–Polish dictionary published in Moscow in 1974. His "History of the Karaites" was published in "Karaite Folk Encyclopeadia" ( V.1, Moscow, 1995). His students published the grammars of Karaite language (respectively Trakai dialect - Kenesbay Mussayev in 1964 and Crimean dialect - Olga Prik in 1973)
Garden flora in Bakhchi-Karai in April: Azalia, Forsicia, Magnolia, Krab Apple. All the flowers are dedicated to the memory of Seraya Markovich Szapszal.
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