Inside Kazakhs yurt, Tianchi (Heaven Lake), Tien Shan, Xinjiang Province, China

The Karakorum (Karakoram) Highway on the Chinese side, with River Giz, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Portrait of an old Tajik man, Lake Kara Kul, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Pavilion overlooking Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Dried fruit being sold at the Sunday market, Kashgar (Kashi) city, Xinjiang Provice, China, Asia

Silk fabrics being sold at the Sunday market, Kashgar (Kashi) city, Xinjiang Provice, China, Asia

Silk fabrics being sold at the Sunday market, Kashgar (Kashi), Xinjiang Provice, China, Asia

Nomads horse and yurt, Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

China's largest wind turbine farm near Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Two men bargaining in the sheep market, Sunday Market, Kashi, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Ruined city of Jiaohe, Turpan on the Silk Route, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Uighur boy surrounded by sheep, Sunday Market, Kashi, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Emin Minaret, Turpan on the Silk Route, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Snow mountains reflected in a lake, Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Sheep grazing on the plains in Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

The night sky reflecting in a winding river, Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Uyghur men look over sheep lined up for sale in Kashgar Sunday market, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur Muslim man cooking noodles at noodle stall in Kashgar Sunday Market, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Noodle maker in Kashgar Sunday Market, main Silk Road trading centre, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Hand made paper made from mulberry tree bark drying in the sun, Moyen, Hotan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur woman spinning silk thread from cocoons in traditional silk workshop, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Rawak Buddhist stupa, 4th century, discovered by Aurel Stein in 1901, Hotan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Rawap, the traditional decorated Uyghur lute covered in snakeskin, Gaochang, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Statue of Kumarajiva, 4th century Buddhist monk from Kuche, at Kizil Caves, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur man at loom weaving tie dyed silk thread into traditional cloth, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur woman at loom weaving tie dyed silk thread into traditional cloth, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur man at loom weaving tie dyed silk thread into traditional cloth, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Wind blown sands in the Taklamakan desert, Hotan, Xinjiang Uyghur region, China, Asia

Straw sand control barriers around the 4th century Rawak Buddhist stupa, Hotan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur Muslim stallholder selling locally grown and dried fruit and nuts, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Noodle maker in Kashgar Sunday Market, main Silk Road trading centre, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur woman preparing loom with tie dyed silk thread ready for weaving, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Two Uyghur Muslim men sitting outside city centre mosque, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Flatbreads cooking in flatbread oven in Turfan street night market, Turfan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Solid Uyghur saddles for sale in Kashgar city centre, Kashgar, Silk Road, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur women spinning silk thread from cocoons in traditional silk workshop, Jiya, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Road past ruined city wall of ancient Silk Road city of Gaochang, Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Barbed wire topped fence around Afaq Khoja Mausoleum, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Noodle maker in Kashgar Sunday Market, main Silk Road trading centre, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Buildings dwarfed by vast Gobi desert landscape along the Silk Road near Turfan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Man outside ornate mosque in city centre, Hotan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

People walking in the main street at night, Old Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur man playing a Rawap, traditional Uyghur lute, in Gaochang, ruined Silk Road city, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur woman stripping bark from Mulberry branches for paper making, Hotan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Undulating wind blown sands in the Taklamakan desert, Hotan, Xinjiang Uyghur region, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaohe Silk Road city, ancient capital of Turfan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, Asia

Angora goats at Sunday market at Kashgar, the main Silk Road trading centre, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Statue of 7th century monk, Xuanzang, carrying Buddhist sutras, Gaochang ruins, Xinjiang, China, Asia

City centre back street, Kashgar, Silk Road city, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Landscape in the Taklamakan desert near Korla, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaohe Silk Road city, capital of Jushi kingdom 450-640 AD, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, Asia

Afaq Khoja Mausoleum, built around 1640, the holiest Muslim site near Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Statue of 7th century monk, Xuanzang, carrying Buddhist sutras, Gaochang ruins, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Emin Minaret, Turpan on the Silk Route UNESCO World Heritage Site, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Dried frogs, snakes and spices for sale in Kashgar covered market, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Mosque in the ruined ancient Silk Road oasis city of Gaochang, Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Poplar trees and vineyards growing where water passes through the Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Recent Silk Road construction through solid rock in the Taklamakan Desert near Kuche, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Undulating wind blown sands in the Taklamakan desert, Hotan, Xinjiang Uyghur region, China, Asia

Prayer flags and sacred site overlooking the town of Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Rock formation in the Taklamakan Desert near Kuche, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Police vehicle driving along the deserted Silk Road in the Gobi desert near Turfan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Freshly baked flatbreads for sale in Turfan street night market, Turfan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Illuminated underground karez (water canals) in the oasis town of Turpan, Silk Road, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Ruined ancient Silk Road oasis city of Gaochang, Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Afaq Khoja Mausoleum, near Kashgar, the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang, Province, China, Asia

Poplar trees and vineyards growing where water passes through the Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Building in the ruined ancient Silk Road oasis city of Gaochang, Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaohe Silk Road city, capital of Jushi kingdom 450-640 AD, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaohe Silk Road city, ancient capital of Turfan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, Asia

Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Autumn leaves at Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Mountains and river scenery in Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Prayer flags and sacred site overlooking Bayanbulak, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Emin Tower and Uyghur Mosque, built in 1777 from wood and brick, Turfan, Silk Road, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Woman selling cooked meats from rickshaw stall in Turfan night market, Turfan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Shrine in the vast Taklamakan desert near Bezeklik, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Emin Tower at the Uyghur Mosque, built in 1777 from wood and brick, Turfan, Silk Road, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Tajik woman in traditional dress, Tashkurgan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Turkic tombs dating from between the 2nd century BC and the 7th century AD, Kayinarl, Altay Mountains, northeast Xinjiang, China, Asia

Ancient city on Silk Road, Jinohe, Turfan Depression, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Portrait of an old Uygur man with beard and felt hat in Xinjiang, China, Asia

Buying bagel-like rolls, Sunday Market, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Portrait of a Tajik woman and children at Tashkurgan in Xinjiang, China, Asia

Summer migration of Kazaks, Altay Mountains, northeast Xinjiang, China, Asia

Kazak yurts in summer pasture, Altay Mountains, northeast Xinjiang, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaone (Jiaohe), old capital on the Silk Road, dating from 1st century AD, Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China, Asia

Portrait of three boys, Turpan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Summer migration of Kazaks, Altay Mountains, northeast Xinjiang, China, Asia

Yurts by Lake Tianchi (the Lake of Heaven), in the mountains at Urumqi, in Xinjiang, China, Asia

Uyghur School, Minfeng, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Baker, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Kazak cooking bread, Tianshan, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Kazak yurts in the summer in the Altay mountains, NE Xinjiang, China, Asia

Southeast area of the Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Scenery by the Karakoram Highway, Xinjiang, China, Asia

Kazak woman on horseback beside a yurt in the Altay mountains, north east Xinjiang, China, Asia

Bearded man selling grapes at the Sunday market, Kashgar (Kashi), Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Rocky valley with snow capped mountains in the background on the Karakorum Highway on route to Pakistan, in Xinjiang Province, China, Asia

Ruins of Jiaone (Jiaohe), old capital on the Silk Road, dating from 1st century AD, Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China, Asia