<p>A land of enormous proportions, countless secrets, and incredible history, Central Asia was the heart of the great Mongol empire of Tamerlane and scene of Stalin's cruelest deportations. A remote and fascinating region in a constant state of transition--never more so than since the collapse of the Soviet Union--it encompasses terrain as diverse as the Kazakh steppes, the Karakum desert, and the Pamir mountains. In <em>The Lost Heart of Asia</em>, acclaimed, bestselling travel writer Colin Thubron carries readers on an extraordinary journey through this little understood, rarely visited, yet increasingly important corner of the world.</p>