day of the year, and beyond to the desert-girdled khanate of Khiva, Uzbekistan lays claim to a breathtaking architectural legacy. Bound by sand and snow, fed by meltwater from the Roof of the World, these fertile oases attracted the greatest travellers and conquerors in history along the fragile threads of the Silk Road. This ground-breaking guide, continually revised and updated, focuses on the wealth of sites and colourful legends at the heart of Central Asia, plus the best of the rest - excursions covering the major nearby attractions of neighbouring republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.