Dimensions
227 x 115 x 23mm
Central Asia is an enormous area, the focal point of ancient trade routes that criss-crossed remote and often hostile lands between Asia and Europe, collectively known as the Silk Road. Central Asia history is rich in scholarship, power, religion, art and commerce, and in conquest and settlement.
Encompassing the former Soviet republics of Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as well as Mongolia in the east, Southern Siberia in the north, and north-western China, it contains the world's highest mountains, and five deserts, including the Gobi of Mongolia.
In her fifties, a single mother and artist begins an unpredictable journey through Central Asia on a tight budget. Carrying a heavy video camera and determined to make a documentary about countries she had never visited before but felt an instinctive affinity for, she sets out with one aim in mind: to find the mythical site of Shambhala, the mystical mountain of the East.
Surprising the local people that she meets with her adventurous spirit, she overcomes many obstacles and gains insight into the true nature of her journey. Travelling rough with only rudimentary Russian language skills, she experiences personal tragedy and moments of utter tranquillity as she explores both the inner and outer landscapes in which she travels.