The book by military writer and teacher Konstantin Abaza introduces the modern reader to the history of the annexation of vast territories of Central Asia to the Russian Empire. The process of Russian penetration into these ancient lands began under Peter I. The campaign of the Bekovich-Cherkassky detachment to the Khiva Khanate was unsuccessful, and after that, active advance into this region ceased for almost a hundred years. Starting from the 30s of the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to actively operate in Turkestan, where there were three main states - Khiva, Kokand and Bukhara, and by 1881 the main lands of Turkestan became part of the empire in the form of seven regions. The book vividly depicts the history of the conquest of the region, on the territory of which five independent states have now emerged, the active development of which was facilitated by their entry into both the Russian Empire and the USSR. The publishing layout of the book is preserved in PDF A4 format.