His father, Hajji Qasim Kazem-Beg, was appointed the principal qazi (Muslim judge) of Derbent by the Russians, and in 1811, Kazembek and his mother rejoined him there.

He advanced rapidly in his academic career, becoming a professor of Arabic and Persian literature and dean, and earning international recognition for his contributions to Oriental studies.

His expertise in these fields, similar to that of the Russian orientialists Vasily Bartold and Vladimir Minorsky, established him as a pioneer to both the prominent school of Iranian studies in Saint Petersburg and the scholarly traditions in London.

[2][3] Kazembek's father, the Muslim cleric Hajji Qasim Kazem-Beg was born in Derbent, but on the way back from a pilgrimage to Mecca, he made Rasht his home after marrying the daughter of the local governor.

[2][3] The Russians subsequently appointed Hajji Qasim Kazem-Beg as the principal qazi (a Muslim judge who performs both judicial and administrative tasks) of Derbent.

Although Iran continued to lay formal claim to Derbent until the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, the event decisively ended Iranian domination of the city.

"[7] As soon as the missionaries learned that Kazembek's father had beaten him brutally, put him in jail, and denied him food, they made a swift request to the governor of Astrakhan to save him.

[7] The missionaries of the Scottish colony of Karass, worried that their efforts would be hindered by this law, notified the Archbishop of Astrakhan about the special privileges they had been granted by the Russian emperor Alexander I (r. 1801–1825).

Eventually, the archbishop decided that the Russian emperor should make the final judgment about the rights of the Karass missionaries to train and baptize non-Orthodox converts.

One instance involved an Iranian cleric named Rasul, who was hesitant to embrace Christianity because he was worried about the backlash from people he owed money to.

[9] Due to his conversion to Christianity, Kazembek was required to join the Russian imperial service in either a military, civil, or commercial position.

The conditions placed upon Kazembek also included a written assurance not to leave Astrakhan without police approval and a prohibition against participating in Christian missionary work.

Wishing to propagate the teachings of Christianity among his fellow countrymen, Kazembek submitted a formal request to Alexander I seeking authorization to do so.

Subsequently, they reached out to Princess Sofia Sergeievna Meshcherskaia, a close companion and spiritual advisor to Alexander I, known for her role in facilitating communication between the Emperor and the missionaries.

[9] Regarding future employment proposals, the Scottish Edinburgh authorities recommended on 2 September 1823 that Kazembek should not receive financial support that would elevate his lifestyle above his usual standard.

By late 1824, the Russian government decided to remove Kazembek from missionary care, and he requested to join the College of Foreign Affairs in Saint Petersburg instead of military or commercial service.

In April 1825, the Edinburgh directors agreed to support him if he could go to Saint Petersburg, but Kazembek was ultimately ordered to attend the College of Omsk in Siberia by 1 November 1825.

Ibrahim Halfin, a grandson of the gymnasium master appointed by Russian empress Catherine the Great (r. 1762–1796), had served as Kazembek's predecessor in the role of Tatar instructor.

These early Asian academics largely avoided disadvantages during their careers, with discrimination first becoming more pronounced in the Russian academy under the assimilationist governments of Alexander III (r. 1881–1894) and Nicholas II (r. 1894–1917).

When Franz Erdmann gradually stepped down from his role as professor of Arabic and Persian literature in 1845, Kazembek was elevated to this position, which was considered more prominent.

The publication of his Turkish book grammar in 1839 led to him receiving the Demidov Prize, a significant honor from the Russian Academy of Sciences, which he would win four times.

Upon his arrival, a commission asked him to evaluate Islamic legal codes, while another government body assigned him the task of translating liturgical texts into Tatar.

[19] While in Astrakhan, Kazembek authored a treatise in Arabic defending Christianity, in similar fashion to the early work of Mirza Mohammad Ibrahim in Iran prior to his move to Haileybury in England.

Once Glen's printing press released Kazembek's treatise, it spread widely throughout Iran, prompting a written response from Reza of Tabriz.

[21] In 1841, Kazembek prepared an Arabic edition of the Mukhtasar al-Wiqaya, an essential guide in Islamic jurisprudence for Tatars and other Turkic groups in Russia.

According to the British Iranologist David Bivar; "On the other hand, his attempts to find parallels between ancient Greek and Iranian legends, though by no means wholly lacking in interest, might seem controversial or even dilettante today.

"[17] According to Bivar, Kazembek's Obshchaya gramma tika Turetsko-tatarskago yazyka ("Comprehensive grammar of the Turko-Tartar language") published at Kazan in 1846 is most likely considered his most important work.

Wearing multicolored robes and a silk turban, Kazembek strolled through Saint Petersburg's streets, attracting attention from people.

During the Crimean War, Kazembek showed no feelings of regret when his traditional eastern clothing was criticized as a treasonous provocation by the newspapers in Saint Petersburg.