The book offered to the reader does not pretend to be a systematic and complete presentation of the history of Kazakhstan and its population. From the entire diversity of Kazakhstan’s past, we have singled out only what constitutes the “backbone” of the ancient and medieval history of the country - the main events of the past centuries, their influence on the formation of the Kazakh people, the formation of their economy, culture and statehood. Naturally, the territory of Kazakhstan has never been isolated. The past of the country and the peoples who inhabited it is inextricably linked with the past of the Eurasian steppes, the entire vast Central Asian region.