This monograph, prepared by a team of Russian orientalists, covers a wide range of problems related to the history of the Arab and Islamic world in the Middle Ages. Parts of the book are devoted to event history, law, culture and economics. The issues involved are analyzed using examples of individual indicative episodes. A special place is given to the ideas that existed in the Islamic world about Europe, in particular about the Slavs. Despite the nature of the book as a scientific study, it is intended not only for specialists, but also for a wide range of readers.