http://www.dragoman.com/  Tamerlane the Terrible, central Asia's most influential military leader of the 14th century, would be celebrating his 672nd birthday this week...luckily for the 21st century he is not.

The Turkik Mongol conqueror spent his life wreaking destruction across Central Asia and is legendary for his ruthless savagery and lack of mercy, massacring entire populations, then building towers out of his victims skulls... his aim was to make his capital, Samarkand, the most impressive in Asia. To see if Tamerlane succeeded, join Dragoman Overland on its 14-night Samarkand & Tamerlane's Testament, next departing Ashgabat 21st June 2008 (Code STT28). (Or v.v from Tashkent 7th July and 15th September 2008).

From Turkmenistan's modern city of Ashgabat, the journey begins along the Silk Route, travelling over 500kms through the inhospitable Karakum Desert - meaning the ‘Black Desert' because of its harsh and bleak atmosphere. At Kunye Ugench, there is a  visit to the Kunye Urgench Historic Preserve and the decorated Kutluk Timur minaret, the tallest in Central Asia at 62-metres.

In Darwasa,  the huge gas crater - approximately the size of a football pitch, ablaze with fire is  fed by natural gas vents.

On to Uzbekistan, and Central Asia at its most exotic.  Khiva, is  an intact Khanate whose ancient walls provided sanctuary for Silk Route travellers - the old town inside is beautifully decorated in classic turquoise tiles.

At Bukhara it is possible to  explore the spectacular Ark Fortress, the Ismail Samanid Mausoleum and the Kalyan Minaret (Death Tower).

Then comes one of two great Central Asian Deserts, the Kyzylkhum or the ‘Red Desert'. This desert is home to Kakaz and Uzbek nomads and travellers spend a night amongst the dunes staying in a yurt camp with an option of a camel ride into the desert.

Next on the itinerary is the 2,750-year-old nomadic city of Samarkand, one of the world's oldest inhabited cities. Most noted for its central position on the Silk Road between China and the west and as an Islamic centre for scholarly study, the UNESCO World Heritage site is labelled as a ‘Crossroads of Cultures'.

The  impressive majolica and azure mosaic-decorated Medressas in Registan Square welcome visitors. It is possible to explore the Oriental Market and Shakh-I-Zinda Complex, a street of tombs for Timur's family - one is said to be that of the prophet Muhammad. In  Tashkent, is the famous   Chorsu Bazaar, now offering a vast array of Soviet ephemera, ranging from entire Soviet stamp collections, old paintings of Lenin, to Military uniforms.