Translated from French by Khamit Khamraev Almaty, 2006. 592 p. ISBN 9965-432-41-2 The author of the book is an outstanding French historian and orientalist. He has written numerous works on the history of Asia. The book, based on voluminous material, provides a detailed description of the life of the Great Steppe from the period of ancient times to the 18th century. The narrative is based on the author's historical research using a large number of sources from European, Chinese, Persian and other cultures. The novelty of the publication lies in its reflection of the point of view on well-known historical events of a major Western European researcher, whose opinion is devoid of bias and opportunism. The book is addressed to a wide range of readers. This publication is published in Russian for the first time.