Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, born in Yerevan in 1944, is a Russian historian, orientalist, and academic, internationally known as the director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg since 1992. The son of his predecessor, archaeologist Boris Piotrovsky, he pursued an academic career specializing in Arab and Islamic studies, with a particular focus on the history of Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula. His publications include numerous essays on Islamic art, archaeology, and the history of the Near East. Under his direction, the Hermitage has undergone a significant phase of modernization and global expansion, with the opening of satellite branches in cities such as Amsterdam and Venice. For his contribution to culture, he has been awarded prestigious honors, including the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the French Legion of Honour, the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, and the highest honors of the Russian state. He is also a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.