The book examines the political history of Tibet from ancient times to the middle of the 20th century: the formation of the Tibetan ethnic group, the emergence of the Tibetan empire of the 7th-9th centuries, the creation of a theocratic monarchy, the establishment of Manchu suzerainty, the struggle for independence, joining the PRC. It tells about the geography, ethnography and economy of Tibet, customs, literature and art of Tibetans, about the history of the spread of Buddhism, its movements, sects, church.