Mongolia

In the heart of Asia lies the enormous and once forgotten land of the Mongols. For seventy years, they were shut behind the borders of a secretive and murderous communist state. Then in 1990, communism collapsed and the door suddenly opened. Jasper Becker, one of the first to cross the border, found himself in a land of bloody conquerors, of wandering tribes, of prophets, shamans and mystic kings. Lamas, nuns, politicians, scientists, prisoners, herders and hunters were at last free to pour out their stories of stories of genocide and political and religious cultural destruction. But as the author roams the country, he finds a country awakening to new hopes and dreams. Beneath the boundless steppes is a treasure trove of minerals.