The book, based on medieval written sources and a synthesis of accumulated archaeological materials, recreates the main features of the historical development of North Caucasian Alania until its collapse in the 13th century. as a result of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The issues of settlement, ethnic, political, socio-economic and cultural history of the Alans - the Iranian-speaking ancestors of the Ossetians and an important part of the vast ancient Iranian world of Eurasia are considered.