From east to west, the Switzerland like Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains surround grass covered valleys flowing down to the nomadic steppe and finally turning into the inhospitable Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. The people and cities here are descendants of the old Silk Road and Soviet forced relocations. After Genghis Khan looted and pillaged Central Asia in the early 13th century, new emperors like Tamerlane would restore these great oasis towns to prominence again. Today, it's a place to go trekking and stay with locals, see ancient ruins, holy pilgrimage sites, splendid turquoise domed mausoleums and mosques, and the newer cities that surround the legacy of the old, and enjoy all the local delicacies (especially horse and dairy products).