This article is devoted to the 120th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist Alexander Andreevich Guber. This is a tribute to the memory of his life and activities associated with Moscow State University, with the IVYA at Moscow State University, where he taught courses on the history of Indonesia for the first time and made great efforts to found a new department of the history of the countries of the Far East and Southeast Asia, the head of which he remained until the end of his days.