Sandwiched between the Middle East and China, Central Asia has earned its status as a crossroads for much of human history and civilisation.

The "Five Stans" of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are best known as being the central artery of the ancient Silk Road trading routes that connected the ancient civilisations to the east and west.

But the region was far more than merely a connector between China and Europe, with a glittering – if brutal – history of its own; birthing sprawling empires and flourishing cultures such as the vast Timurid Empire.

Today many of the historical landmarks remain – although heavily reconstructed – in the glittering Islamic cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. While out in the hinterlands, you'll find vast steppe and snowcapped mountains, along with the herding communities who have lived here for countless generations.

The cities meanwhile tell their own story of the Soviet era, and their attempts at reinvention since 1991 reinvention – some more successful than others.

It's not necessarily a relaxing vacation destination: if you're looking for lazy afternoons in the sun, you may want to try elsewhere. But if you seek adventure and insights into the incredible, magical, at times awful, human story, well Central Asia is a must.