Uzbeckistan. This book took me weeks to get through but I forgot to add it to my currently reading list. Tamburlane and Genghis Khan, amazing architecture, and the tombs of great kings. This book is full of history and fabulous pictures. Today, Uzbekistan is known for mining gold and precious metals as well as exporting silk and cotton.
Has some nice photography, and a decent bibliography. I was hoping for more info on the pools of Bukhara, but it only devotes about a page to that topic.