Visiting this formerly daunting part of the world is now easier than ever

We follow the paths carved by some of the greatest and most terrible conquerors, everyone from Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan to Timur.

• by Ute Junker

A rallying cry

Tajikistan's poverty is numbing, its roads rotten, the vistas stunning and its people heartbreakingly hospitable, writes Jamie Lafferty.