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All this week, we've got our Eye on Kazakhstan here at CNN, 

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home to a large part of the ancient Silk Road, one of the world's oldest trading routes that connected east Asia to the Roman Empire. 

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Well now, plans are underway to modernize that route. Have a look at this.

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You know, Kazakhstan is such a huge and vast country that you can't really experience it unless you take a road trip. 

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So today, we're going to take a journey down what used to be the ancient Silk Road, where this country's constructing a new super highway.

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The journey begins in Almaty, the largest city and former capital. 

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Pretty soon, we're making our way through the amazing mountain landscapes of eastern Kazakhstan, a rural area with interesting traditions. 

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A little dip in the river, more or less clothed. Turns out, this is a wedding party.

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You guys after weddings go bathing in the river normally?

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Of course, it's not our tradition normally, but we wanted to share our joy in the river and in nature with our guests, the bride's family. 

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They came from so far away.

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In eastern Kazakhstan, that means a lot of vodka and fearless stunts. 

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Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, its population and geography extremely diverse.?

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Merchants passed through here on the ancient Silk Road hundreds of years ago, 

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and now that trade between east and west is booming again, the government has decided it needs to upgrade its infrastructure.

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A new highway is under construction that will span the entire country and replace many of the bumpy back roads that make travel here such a chore. 

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Murat Kadyrov is in charge of building this section and says the new road will help boost mobility and safety.?

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"The speed limit will be 120 kilometers an hour," 

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he says. "There will be less crashes because there are no intersections, and it will enable Kazakhstan to develop economically and give people a substantial benefit."

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Kazakhstan plans to spend about $19 billion on transport infrastructure by 2014, 

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the government says, especially on links from China to Europe, money that could help revive towns like Taraz, 

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once a major hub on the ancient Silk Road with a rich Islamic history.

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Anna Krokosheva shows me the ruins of the old town and the tomb of its most important son, Karakhan Mohammed, 

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the city's governor in its heyday in the 11th century who made a major push to convert the population to Islam.

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It was a big merchant city. The ruler of the entire state sat here. 

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It was the capital and the city was very rich. Both Persian and Arabic scripts mention this city.

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Kazakhstan still has a long way to go to revitalize its role as a major trade route, but the effort is underway, the transport minister tells me. 

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"We have a serious policy for the development of the road infrastructure," 

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he says. "The Europe to Western China highway is one of the main projects. It will connect Europe and China on the shortest possible path."

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Today, the roads are so treacherous, most people travel by railroad. The train makes its way to our final destination, Turkestan. 

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About a thousand kilometers from where our trip started, Turkestan was also once a major way point on the Silk Road, 

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and its former wealth can be seen in the massive mausoleum for Ahmed Yasawi, who made Sufi Islam popular in this region in the 11th century.?

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Millions make a pilgrimage here each year, 

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and the town hopes to attract even more tourists as Kazakhstan improves the travel infrastructure, building a new Silk Road.