Background
He was born in Saint St. Petersburg, Russia.
He was born in Saint St. Petersburg, Russia.
Having studied (1833–1835) Oriental languages, particularly Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit, at the University of Saint St. Petersburg, he continued his studies in Germany, first in Berlin and then (1839–1842) in Bonn.
His magnum opus was a Sanskrit dictionary. In 1860 he was made Russian state councillor, and later privy councillor with a title of nobility. In 1868 he settled at Jena, and in 1885 moved to Leipzig, where he resided until his death.
Saxonian Academy of Sciences. Russian Academy of Sciences]
Returning to Saint St. Petersburg in 1842, he was attached to the Royal Academy of Sciences, and was elected an ordinary member of that society in 1855.