Through Russian Central Asia

In the summer before the Great War, a British traveler set out across the far‑eastern reaches of the Russian Empire, tracing the newly‑opened rail line that links the Caspian coast to the high deserts of Turkestan. Along the way he records bustling bazaars in Bukhara, the solemn arches of Samarkand’s mosques, and the remote nomadic camps of the Kirghiz, painting each scene with the keen eye of a correspondent for a major newspaper. The narrative is threaded with vivid photographs and sketches that bring the stark deserts, verdant oases and multicultural towns to life.

Beyond the striking geography, the author reflects on the impact of war on European consciousness, noting how the conflict expands curiosity about distant lands and reshapes ideas of empire. His observations capture everyday moments—a football match at a Tashkent college, a Kirghiz wedding, the sounds of ten‑foot horns that locals call ‘trumpets of Jericho.’ The first part of the journey offers listeners a richly textured portrait of a region on the cusp of change, inviting imagination without revealing the later developments of the expedition.