Unknown Sands : Journeys Around the World's Most Isolated Country

by Kropf, John W.

• ISBN13: 9780976356516
• ISBN10: 0976356511
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-28
• Publisher: Dusty Spark Pub

Summary

Turkmenistan was once the world's most feared territory. Now, as an independent country located between the hot spots of Afghanistan and Iran, with one of the planet's largest natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan is virtually unknown to the outside world. This personal story blends two years of adventure with Turkmenistan's tumultuous history to present an intriguing profile of the country and its people.

Author Biography

John Kropf served at the American Embassy in Turkmenistan as the Country Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Because of his work with the Embassy, he was able to travel extensively through Turkmenistan. He is currently the Director of International Privacy Programs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In addition to writing for the U.S. Department of State as an attorney specializing in international law, his writing credits include creative non-fiction and humor articles that have appeared in The Washington Post and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He also contributed a story to Sports Car Illustrated (now defunct) that detailed his grandfather's 1919 cross-country trek in a FIAT roadster ("Tales of the Mudbound").

Table of Contents

Author's Note	xi
Death or Slavery	3	(14)
Ashgabat: Welcome to a Closed Land	17	(32)
Red Carpets in the Bazaar	49	(24)
Ancient Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road	73	(26)
In the Footsteps of Alexander	99	(14)
Two Hours Beyond the End of the Earth	113	(12)
Crossing the Oxus	125	(26)
On the Trail of Saints and Russians	151	(20)
Taliban Neighbor	171	(18)
Home by Way of Dinosaur Tracks	189	(14)
Acknowledgements	203	(2)
Epilogue	205	(2)
Selected Bibliography	207