The monograph is devoted to the activities of the Russian orientalist A.E. Schmidt (1871-1939). Schmidt's teachers were Baron W. R. Rosen, I. Goldzier, M. de Guet, J. von Karabacek and other prominent specialists in the Muslim East. Schmidt's students considered themselves I.Yu. Krachkovsky, A.N. Samoilovich, V.I. Belyaev, P.P. Ivanov, E.M. Peshchereva and others. The book opens with a scientific biography of A.E. Schmidt, specially prepared for this publication. The book presents unique materials from public and private archives of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tashkent. The publication is addressed to everyone who is interested in the history of Russian - Soviet Oriental studies in general and Islamic studies in particular.