Nikolai Fedorovich Katanov was a Russian Turkologist, professor at the Imperial Kazan University and the Kazan Theological Academy, doctor of comparative linguistics, ethnographer, folklorist and social activist. Katanov is widely regarded as the first Khakass scientist and was an Active State Councillor in 1915.
He was born into the family of an ulus clerk. From 1876 to 1884, he studied at Krasnoyarsk gymnasium, graduating with a gold medal. He then attended the Faculty of Oriental Languages at St. Petersburg University from 1884 to 1888. On the recommendation of Vasily Radlov, he was sent on an ethnographic-linguistic expedition to Siberia and East Turkestan to study the languages and lifestyles of Turkic tribes. From 1889 to 1892, he studied the peoples of Khakassia, Tuva, Zhetysu, Tarbagatai, and Xinjiang. In 1894, Katanov moved to Kazan after being unsuccessful in securing a place at the University of St. Petersburg. He worked in Kazan for 28 years until his death. In 1903, he defended his master's thesis titled 'The Experience of the Study of the Uriankhai Language'. In 1907, he earned his Doctorate in Comparative Linguistics based on his extensive body of work. From 1911 to 1917, he primarily taught at the Kazan Theological Academy, where he held the position of Ordinary Professor. In 1919, he was elected as a professor at Kazan University through the All-Russian competition, which was approved by Narkompros in 1921.
