The Royal Road

Once upon a Stan

In Central Asia where sandy wastes coincide with ancient empires, you can find a Stan. Nowadays they define the nationalities of the people who live there; Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Afghans. All were once part of someone else’s Realm, Khanate or Soviet but now they are standing their own ground with one eye on their neighbours and the other on the international spot price for their seemingly unlimited resources of natural gas.

It may be a brave new world out in the Stan’s but there is no denying the cultural and historical links that connect them. Those connections are the stuff of fascinating destinations and interesting stories waiting to be explored.

We coined the name Mazaristan to describe one of Central Asia’s most interesting and unusual travel routes. In September 2015 we are off to trace the footsteps of traders, scholars and mystics from the Aras River to the Amu Daria. Our tour will take us from the shadow of  Mount Ararat to the Caspian Sea, along the desert fringe of the Alborz mountains to Afghanistan’s great citadels of Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, to Balkh and ultimately to Samarkand.

The trip list is open and filling quickly. Don’t delay if you want to register your interest.

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