For the past 2000 years, this area has been at the crossroads of civilization and the greatest trade route in history. Take the "Golden Road to Samarkand," brilliant with its magnificent mosques, towering minarets built during the brutal regime of Tamerlane. Move on to medieval Bukhara and its massive citadel, home of the 10th century Persian renaissance. Here you can enjoy the teahouses and gatherings of revered elders, with long white beards, playing backgammon and swapping stories. Wander through tiny walled Khiva, now perfectly preserved as a living museum town and a favorite for wedding festivals.

The dazzling bazaars represent centuries of tradition and you can almost taste the succulent apricots, grapes and melons. Or , hear bawling, moaning camels when you stop at dawn in Ashkabad’s Sunday livestock market trading in camels and goats and displaying the famous woven rugs.

From nomads to farmers and traders, everyone exchanged religious, intellectual and artistic ideas, while scholars, astronomers and musicians connected the cultural centers of the world. Take your photographic journey on the Silk Road, an ancient information highway!