The name of al-Mas'udi (d. 956), the greatest Arab-Muslim historian, writer, geographer and traveler, is the pride of the Arab-Muslim civilization. Only two of his works have survived to this day - “The Book of Indications and Observations” and “Gold Mines and Placers of Gems.” A significant part of this historical and literary monument, written in a vivid fictional manner, is dedicated to the history of the Abbasid dynasty, of which al-Mas'udi was a contemporary of a number of caliphs. The story is presented in the form of a string of short stories, anecdotes and poems, allowing the modern reader to feel the flavor of that distant era. This part of “Golden Mines...” is published in its entirety in Russian for the first time. The book is intended for a wide range of readers.