CENTRAL ASIA Once Silk Road epicenters, the capitals of ancient empires, coveted chess pieces of the colonial Great Game and Iron Curtain captives, the independent nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are some of the most mysterious and isolated, yet culturally rich and historically significant, places on Earth. • VISIT THE ANCIENT CITY OF MERV • WALK AMONG BAZAARS AND MINARETS OF BUKHARA • ADMIRE VIBRANT BLUE TILE IN REGISTAN SQUARE • WANDER THROUGH ASHGABAT'S TOLKUCHKA SUNDAY BAZAAR • WATCH THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE SHYRDAK (ICONIC KYRGZ FELT CARPETS)
TURKEY At the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Turkey’s fortuitous geography has made it the world’s greatest epicenter of exchange between East and West for the past 5,000 years. The culmination of the Silk Road and the capital of four distinct empires, Turkey is unrivaled for sheer cultural wealth and diversity. • EXPLORE ISTANBUL • SAIL THE BOSPORUS STRAIT • VIEW CAPPADOCIA FROM A HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE • SEE HUGE CARVED STONE FACES ON MT. NEMRUT • RELAX ON THE TURQUOISE COAST
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