The New Silk Road — John Stanmeyer

Children playing on a crumbling pier jutting into the Caspian Sea in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Aktau is Kazakhstan's major sea port on the economically important, largest inland sea on earth.

Large murals in Aktau, Kazakhstan, of the Founding Father's of Kazakhstan, (L-R) Abylai Khan - Kazakh Founder, Tole Bi (Biy), Kazybek Bi (Biy), with the vast Caspian Sea behind.

Soviet era housing project in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Legacy of the communist era of Kazakhstan is still visible in this port city in eastern Kazakhstan.

Akhnyazov family farm in Kharasay, Kazakhstan.

Massive round rocks, many three meters or larger, strewed across the steppes of western Kazakhstan in the Mangystau region near the village of Shetpe. These large spherical stones were likely formed by the currents of ancient seas that once covered this vast region.

Camels grazing amongst rubbish in an illegal dump in the outskirts of Aktau, Kazakhstan, the modern landscape of Silk Road.

Fort Shevchenko, port city in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan, named after the Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile in this seaside city during the Soviet era in Kazakhstan.

Flowers behind a curtain inside the resting room at the Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis located in the outskirts of Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Prayers at a shrine to Sultan-Epe, an ancient necropolis believed to be mystical located in a remote part of the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan. For many in this part of Kazakhstan mix Sufism with Islam, a tradition carried on for centuries.

Islambek Akhmaghambetov, 56, sips tea at a truck stop diner in the oil rich Mangystau region of Kazakhstan. Like so many in this part of eastern Kazakhstan, Akhmaghambetov is a victim of falling global oil prices and Mangystau's employment in the oil sector, the commodity that has replace previous commodities along the Silk Road.

Doughnut shop in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Balburysh Abishkyzy, 62, the great granddaughter of Yesmambet-Ata, (in black, center), eater with pilgrims that visit Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis located in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan. As caretaker of the shrine, Abishkyzy visits every day, paying homage to her ancestors.

Private eating area at a truck stop diner in the oil rich Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Paul Salopek with Alex Moen, the horse he will travel with on his journey across the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan on part VI of the Out of Eden Walk, at a farmers garden in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Paul Salopek walking along the Caspian Sea with his traveling companion, Alex Moen, for the beginning of part VI to the Out of Eden walk on the outskirts of Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Paul Salopek resting with his horse, Alex Moen, after arriving late in the night to the Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis on day of part VI of the Out of Eden walk in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Paul Salopek and his walking companion, Alex Moen, climbing the steppes as he nears Uzbekistan after one month walking through the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan

Tombs in the Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis, one of the many revered, mystical burial sites across the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Prayers at graves in the Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis, a mystical ceremony connected to Sufism. Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis is one of the many shires considered sacred across the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Evening prayers inside the prayer room of the pilgrims house at the Yesmambet-Ata Necropolis in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Kazakh men using a dead goat play kokpar in the steppes on the outskirts of Aktau, Kazakhstan. This ancient Central Asian sport has horse-mounted players attempting to drag a goat or calf carcass toward a goal. Banned during the Soviet era, today Kokpar is Kazakhstan's national sport, reviving a tradition that began in the 10th century.

Ozenmunaigas oil pumps cover the landscape around much of Zhanaozen in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan. They began pumping oil beginning in 1964. Today across the landscape of ancient Silk Road, more than 3500 pumps dot the landscape in a 40 x 20km area.

Not everyone in the oil rich region of Mangystau reaps the benefits of the wealth beneath their feet. In the 6th Micro District of Zhanaozen, Kazakstan, 700 families live in low income housing eking out a living as laborers or on pensions.

Smoke from a factory in Shetpe, in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Farmers in a rural area of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Camels in Senek village, Kazakhstan.

Betashar ceremony of revealing the bride's face, one of the four stages of a traditional Kazakh wedding for the bride, Guldana Myrzagalieva, 21, who is marrying this day Baurzhan Dauletbaev, 23, in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Guldana Myrzagalieva, 21, before removing her veil during her tradiotnal Betashar wedding ceremony just before marrying Baurzhan Dauletbaev, 23, in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Marilyn Monroe watches over elder women as they pray during Guldana Myrzagalieva's at her home in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Fire of lamb fat and plants burn to protect against the devil, against illness and evil. Cleansing with fire is part of the Betashar ceremony of revealing the bride's face, one of the four stages of a traditional Kazakh wedding for the bride, Guldana Myrzagalieva, 21, at her home in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Bridesmaid to Guldana Myrzagalieva in the kitchen of the families home during a wedding in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan.

Under moonlight, the limestone mountain that make up the Ustyurt Plateau and Bozjira Scarp (Bozzhira), located in the remote Mangystau region of Kazakhstan.

Morning thunderstorm and lightening over the limestone mountain that make up the Ustyurt Plateau and Bozjira Scarp (Bozzhira), located in the remote Mangystau region of Kazakhstan. The mountain in the foreground is printed on the 2004 1000 Tenge Kazakhstan paper currency.

Pilgrims inside the tomb of Shopan-Ata, at Shopan-Ata, Kazakhstan.

Gaziza Zhubanova, 29, prepares a meal in the kitchen her home in Zhynghyldy, Kazakhstan, while her daughter, Laura Kybakaly, 5, awakens from a nap under the table.

Portrait of Gaziza Zhubanova, 29, in her home in Zhynghyldy, Kazakhstan.

Aygerym Orynbaeva milking camels on a farm along the Shomanay Mountains in a remote part of the Mangystau region of Kazakstan. Shomanay means Five Mountains

Onaikhan Orynbaeva (left) and her daughter, Aygerym Orynbaeva (right), serve breakfast to guests on their farm along the Shomanay Mountains in a remote part of the Mangystau region of Kazakstan. Shomanay means Five Mountains

A traditional sheepskin coat blows in the wind in Turtkul, Uzbekistan, on a highway that follows the ancient Silk Road. It wasn’t a single road but a network of commercial routes that once traversed much of the Eastern Hemisphere.

Children coming home from school in Sukok village, Uzbekistan.

Once there was water in abundance in Moynak, Uzbekistan. During the Soviet era water was diverted from the Aral for irrigation. Today, tourists take selfies where the water of the Aral Sea has withdrawn more than 200 kilometers from Moynak. Snow upon the former seabed amongst the ghost ships is where the former shoreline reached.

Cattle graze where water of the Aral sea was once was 10 meter deep Moynak, Uzbekistan. During the Soviet era water was diverted from the Aral for irrigation. Today, the water of the Aral Sea has withdrawn more than 200 kilimeters from Moynak.

Once a prosperous city, when the Aral Sea retreated from Moynak, Uzbekistan, much of this former bustling city is now abanoned, when the once prosperous fish industry vanished, deeply affecting the local economy.

Rusting machines and cans litter the floor of the former fish factory in Moynak, Uzbekistan, abandoned after the Aral Sea retreated more than 200 kilometers from Moynak. This Soviet era factory was the main source of fish, using in military rations during Soviet times in what is now Uzbekistan.

Collection of Soviet era communist relics, at the home of 70 year-old Vladimir, a fourth generation ethnic Russian living in Moynak, Uzbekistan.

The curious workshop of Vladimir, an imaginarium where this fourth generation ethnic Russian tinkers at his home in Moynak, Uzbekistan.

Family doing dishes in their home in Moynak, Uzbekistan.

Using homemade skis attached to a piece of wood, children sled along a frozen river on the outskirts of Moynak, Uzbekistan.

Dinners, all men, in the Khadra Restaurant, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Chairs at two different roadside restaurants, left in Khiva, right near Tashkent in Uzbekistan along the old routes of the Silk Road.

Yellow truck, reflected in the window of a restaurant popular with truck drivers between Nukus and Moynak, Uzbekistan, a key road for transport today and centuries ago along the ancient Silk Road.

Snow on the fields of Sukok, Uzbekistan.

Large map of the Silk Road, on a wall of a restaurant in Kungrad, Uzbekistan, popular with truck drivers who now ferry goods along the former ancient Silk Road.

Tree behind plastic on a raining afternoon at a restaurant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Muslims pray in a sacred room of an old tomb in Shah-i-Zinda cemetery, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Train conductor, signaling the arrival of a train to Bostan Station, Bostan, Uzbekistan.

Uzbek men pray along the side of the road near the Daud-Ota Necropolis on the outskirts of Kungrad, Uzbekistan. Driving in their cars to Russia for work, these laborers paid homage to Daud-Ota, the patron saint of travelers who is buried in this necropolis.

Men at a local Uzbek restaurant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Remains of a truck, ruined in an accident, resting along the main road that links Uzbekistan with Kazakhstan, located along the same path as the Silk Road.

Mirzakhan, 58, a lifelong worker with the National Uzbekistan Railway, and his daughter, Aynur, 21, at their small home in Bostan, Uzbekistan.

Khadjakhmet Umarov at his home with his son, Samat Umarov, with his new baby daugher, 4 month-old Nesevile Umarova, daughter Sanughash Umarova (no shirt) and son, Nurghali Umarov, in Khodjeyli, Uzbekistan.

Boy returning home with his sheep in Khodjeyli, Uzbekistan.

Farmers bring their cattle back to their homes in Khodjeyli, Uzbekistan, walking past the Amu Darya River and natural gas fuel pipes, serpentine through the landscape of the country. Due to excessive water usage for agriculture in Uzbekistan, the water levels of the Amu Darya, historically known as the Oxus, have dropped to dramatic low levels, effecting the entire economy.

Oarsmen ferry passengers across the ice blocked Amu Darya River that connects Qartau and Jumurtau villages in western Uzbekistan. Around 500 villagers who work in Qaratau normally cross this historical river on a floating bridge, removed during winter due to moving ice. Part of the 4th century Gaur-Kala fortress still remains across the river historically known as the Oxus.

In transit, resting upon a kind orange fender of a three wheel motor scooter, a small boat along Amu Darya River, historically known as the Oxus River, in western Uzbekistan.

Bride, Ana khan Daudova, 20, and groom, Atabay Atabayev, 23, pray in a mosque located in Itchan Kala, the old 13th cenutry city along the Silk Road in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Bride, Ana khan Daudova, 20, and groom, Atabay Atabayev, 23, release a dove after being married in Itchan Kala, the old 13th cenutry city along the Silk Road in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Friends and family take a massive group selfie Inside the Djuma (Friday) mosque, with bride, Ana khan Daudova, 20, and groom, Atabay Atabayev, 23, pose for their photographer in the old 13th cenutry city along the Silk Road in Khiva, Uzbekistan, after being married. Both are from Khiva.

Musicians with large brass karnay horns play traditional Khorezmian music as a bride and groom enter in procession to Itchan Kala, the Old City of Khiva, Uzbekistan, for photographs and marriage.

Local TV at a restaurant in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Portrait of a man in a traditional Uzbek coat in front of an door in the old city of Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Beknur Bakhtiarov, 5 years old, in his special clothing, seeking prayers and good wishes at the spiritual Itchan Kala, the old city of Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Beknur Bakhtiarov, 5 years old, receives money after having a circumcision at his families home in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Amirbek Bakhtiarov, 5 months, rests in a traditional Uzbek cradle at his parents home in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Paul Salopek in the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan.

Paul Salopek with his Uzbek guide Tanatar "Tolek” Bekniyazov in the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan.

Paul Salopek trying to to make a satellite phone call under the Milkway while in the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan.

Paul Salopek awakening before sunrise in the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan.

Paul Salopek with his Uzbek guide, Tanatar "Tolek” Bekniyazov, at a watering hole on the outskirts of Bukhara in the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan.

16th-century Mir-i Arab Madrassah, the main entrance of the historic courtyard overlooking Kalyan or Kalon Minor Minaret in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Dead donkey resting along the main highway that all transport moves through Uzbekistan, along the former Silk Road.

Teddy bear, in an Italian restaurant in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

A young boy plays on a bed frame in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Restaurant between Bukhara and Samarkand, popular with truck drivers driving the route of the ancient Silk Road.

Mirzokhid Khoshimov drives while his brother, Fakhriddin Khoshimov, rests in the car of their truck while transporting glass containers from Fergana Walli to Bukhara along the route of the ancient Silk Road.

Fur trees, being trimmed to bring more sunlight to mulberry trees along the road linking Bukhara and Samarkand along the ancient Silk Road. Mulberry leaves are used to feed silkworms that produce silk, one of the main commodities that once traveled along the Silk Road, still being produced today in Uzbekistan.

Sroch Kamolov, 84, eating Samarkand's most famous dish, palov, as a small restaurant in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Dilbar Umarova, 51, at her home in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 51, lives within the legacy of her family's home. For 200 years she and her ancestors have inhabited this warmth-filled Samarkand home situated along a quiet alley, the living room today covered in Uzbek carpets, given to her by family for her wedding.

The Registan was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan means "Sandy place" or "desert" in Persian.

Dilfuza Samatova, 35, dancing and celebrating her son's 1st birthday at Samarkand Restaurant, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Local tourists climb upon bronze statues of camels that symbolize the caravanserai era of the ancient Silk Road at the Museum of Afrosiab in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Horseman riding his white horse through the streets of downtown Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Grand mealing being prepared on the 4th day memorial for Nubuvat Akhadova, who died at the age of 76, at her family home in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Portrait of a man at a funeral memorial for a family member in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Woman cleaning dishes behind a gentle flowered curtain at a palov (osh) restaurant in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Sukhrob Akhrorov, 49, making Samarkand's most famous dish, palov, as a small restaurant in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Passengers heading home from work using buses in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Two brothers and their brides wait to be married in a lavish ceremony at a wedding hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The city, now the country’s capital, was long a stopping place for camel caravans plying the Silk Road.

Photo of Mecca with a woman in prayer at a beauty salon in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Smoke from shashlik makers (kebobs) in the Kumtempa Bazaar, Margian, Uzbekistan.

Passengers in buses at the Kumtepa Bazaar in Margilan, Uzbekistan.

Cock fighting at the Kumtepa bazaar, Margilan, Uzbekistan.

Sunset in Qipchaq village, Uzbekistan.

Abdu Samad Shamsudinov, 65, father of 7 children in Qipchaq in the Fergana Valley region of Uzbekistan.

Abdu Samad Shamsudinov at Mukhtar Ali Kasimov's home in Qipchaq in the Fergana Valley region of Uzbekistan.

Abdu Samad Shamsudinov, 65, father of 7 children, and his friend, Mukhtar Ali Kasimov, 67, pray before eating at Kasimov's home in Qipchaq in Fergana Valley region of Uzbekistan.

Fences of Uzbekistan using tree branches will be used to cook meals, warm the hearth and home, now cradling a ladder at a farm in the waning afternoon in Qipchaq located on the outskirts of Margilan, Uzbekistan.

Women weave silk at the Margilon Crafts Development Center in Margilon, Uzbekistan, a way station on the Silk Road. The center was established in 2007 to preserve and revive traditional crafts such as carpet weaving, block printing, and embroidery. Classes are also taught on how to breed silkworms and create textiles.

Bread, chockablock in a Soviet era Zaporozhets at the street bazaar in Andijan, Uzbekistan.

Jet plane along the roadside in Andijan, Uzbekistan.

Men eating at the Kumtepa bazaar, Margilan, Uzbekistan.

Shamans bend and contort the bodies of clients while burping and coughing out evil spirits — jinn — in a graveyard at the Dahman-Shakhon tomb in Kokand, Uzbekistan. These women and men are believed to have supernatural powers to heal people.

Passengers in the Tashkent to Termez train in Uzbekistan.

Palov ceremony at a wedding hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Palov ceremonies are unique events, happing early in the morning and only attended by men prior to special events such as a wedding or to give thanks.

A Russian Lada passes an empty table for two at a restaurant on the outskirts of Termez, Uzbekistan. These roads located throughout Uzbekistan once were a part of the elaborate route across the Silk Road, carrying goods and riches from Asia to Europe.