This scene from Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan) shows a karagach (a type of elm tree). Densely leaved, the karagach flourishes in the oasis setting of Samarkand. The compact branch structure helps the tree conserve moisture in the hot climate. In the foreground is a rutted road flanked by an aging adobe brick-and-mud wall. In the distance the wall is being rebuilt with modern techniques to reinforce the upper pathway in this hilly terrain. Another wall is visible on the other side of the upper path. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. Prokudin-Gorskii was particularly interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), which he visited on a number of occasions, including two trips in 1911. Turkestan appealed to him not only for its Islamic architecture but also for everyday scenes in places such as Samarkand.