György Almásy

György Ede Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Felsőlendva (now Grad, Slovenia), 11 August 1867 – Graz, 23 September 1933) was a Hungarian Asiologist, traveler, zoologist and ethnographer. His son, László Almásy, was an aviator, Afrologist and soldier.

His father, Ede Almásy, was a founding member of the Hungarian Geographical Society. György Almásy studied for a law doctorate at the University of Graz, as customary for his status in society. After university he worked in Budapest as a civil servant, but after leaving his profession he returned home to manage his estate. He was interested from the beginning in zoology and, within that, ornithology. He published a book with István Chernel as co-editor. His first more serious journey was taken to the Danube delta to study ornithology.

On 3 December 1891 he married Ilona Pittani, by whom he had three children: Györgyike, born in Borostyánkõ on 25 September 1892 and married to Antal Gyömörey de Gyömöre et Teölvár, János (Kőszeg (Güns), 7 March/September 1893 - Borostyánkõ (Bernstein im Burgenland), 21 August 1968), married at Gyuleviz Castle (Zsira) on 1 June 1929 to Princess Mária Róza Alojzia Alexa Paulina Esterházy de Galántha (Eisenstadt/Kis-Marton, 25 January 1900 - Bernstein, Burgenland, 30 November 1971), without issue, and László Almásy.

He first travelled to Asia in 1900 with Rudolf Stummer of Traunfels, his teacher of zoology at the University of Graz. They journeyed through the region of the river Ili, the eastern areas of the Issyk Kul, and the unexplored, third mountain range of the Tien-San. The zoological achievement of their journey was the collection of around 20,000 animals (mostly birds), with many newly discovered species among them. This tour gave him extensive experience, but rather than from his zoological observation, this experience was derived from his vivid ethnographical notations, which are concerned with the everyday life of the Kyrgyz and Kazakh peoples.

...
Wikipedia