Centuries of prosperity of the Byzantine Empire and the Arab East are a most interesting page in the history of culture. These centers of civilization were the products of completely different cultures and religions, they constantly waged brutal wars among themselves, and yet in one thing these neighbors in the Middle East were similar: both were distinguished by a sincere passion for the most refined luxury. In this volume of “The History of the Culture of the Peoples of the World” there is a story about Byzantine outfits and fabulously beautiful fabrics, the richest decoration of the imperial palace, about how simple nomads turned into pampered caliphs, about arabesques and Damascus steel and about many other things that have forever entered into our everyday life, preserving the refined and whimsical flavor of the East. “The History of the Culture of the Peoples of the World” is a unique publication that describes the costumes, weapons, furniture, dishes and architectural structures of the peoples of our planet, starting from the 4th millennium BC. e. and up to the 19th century. The author of this most interesting work is the outstanding German artist and cultural historian Hermann Weiss (1822–1897), a professor at the Berlin Academy of Arts, who personally completed most of the numerous illustrations that adorn the pages of this encyclopedic collection. In terms of the breadth and volume of material, brought together into a single whole with truly German conscientiousness and accuracy, this book still has no equal in Russia.