The flat route, called the Eurasian Steppe, extends all the way across the continent, from Moldova to Manchuria. Over the millenia, great masses of nomads walked and rode on horseback back and forth along its grasslands and savannahs. The story of these movements is central to the history of Europe and Asia.

As one can see from the map above, the border between Europe and Asia is all but imaginary. It is represented by the two red lines on the map: the long vertical one goes along the Ural Mountains and the short horizontal one crosses Anatolia somewhere between the Black and the Caspian seas. Closer up, the Great Steppe is broken up into the Russian and the Mongolian-Manchurian ecoregions.

The story of the Steppe has never actually being properly told. This corner of our blog is dedicated to the history, ecology, culture, food, and songs of the great Steppe.