The Silk Road, Transcaspia, the Pamir Highway, the Alai Corridor, the Khyber Pass, the Taklamakhan Desert: this is the magnificent terrain where the geopolitical ambitions of empires have played out. Central Asia is the largest natural fortress on earth, traversed by a few routes that have been used by traders and armies since earliest times and are still today the arteries for those in search of power, profit, or refuge. Warlords, border officials, businessmen, smugglers, and refugees are among those who populate the landscapes depicted here, from desert heartlands to zones of war and uneasy peace.