Tajikistan - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor

"The Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor is a key section of the Silk Roads in Central Asia that connects other corridors from all directions. Located in rugged mountains, fertile river valleys, and uninhabitable desert, the 866-kilometre corridor runs from east to west along the Zarafshan River and further southwest following the ancient caravan roads crossing the Karakum Desert to the Merv Oasis. Channelling much of the east-west exchange along the Silk Roads from the 2nd century BCE to the 16th century CE, a large quantity of goods was traded along the corridor. People travelled, settled, conquered, or were defeated here, making it a melting pot of ethnicities, cultures, religions, sciences, and technologies."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Vobkent Minaret in Bukhara region, Uzbekistan is a transnational UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor. Thanks to Yuliya of Belarus for mailing from Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Cold Winter Deserts of Turan

"This transnational property comprises fourteen component parts found across arid areas of Central Asia’s temperate zone between the Caspian Sea and the Turanian high mountains. The area is subject to extreme climatic conditions with very cold winters and hot summers, and boasts an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna that has adapted to the harsh conditions. The property also represents a considerable diversity of desert ecosystems, spanning a distance of more than 1,500 kilometres from East to West. Each of the component parts complements the others in terms of biodiversity, desert types, and ongoing ecological processes."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Altyn Emel National Park, Kazakhstan is part of Cold Winter Deserts of Turan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to Pifpal.