In this Book the author describes his visit to the fabled city of Samarkand, once the capital of Tamerlane’s empire. There are no “Golden Gates” to be seen, but the city is nevertheless rich in splendid monuments such as the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the Registan, the Shah-i-Zinda and the Bibi Khanum Mosque, all of which are illustrated by numerous slides. Also shown is the extensive open-air bazaar, with its colourful mixture of Central Asian peoples. An Epilogue covers brief visits to the principal sights of Moscow and Leningrad on the last lap of this journey round the Soviet Union. Brief but informative captions explain the photographs. The book contains music and video clips.