reading about Turkey and even tried to study the Turkish language by himself. In Baskakov's words, "This pursuit probably affected choice of my speciality - Turkology, which my father later named "missionary work", or maybe my speciality was prompted by the genes of my ancestors, Turks or Mongols?".

In 1918, when Baskakov was attending the gymnasium in the town Gryazov, he took part in a piano class at Gryazov's musical school. From that time music accompanied him throughout his life. Post-revolutionary