Muslim countries of Central Asia, which had been conquered by Russia in the 19th century, the most part of the 20th century carried the status of Soviet republics. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 they became independent states, the borders of which having been delineated in accordance with the 19th century divisions and partitions, do not comply with areas inhabited by different ethnic societies of Indo-European or Turkish origin. Despite differences the cultures of peoples of this region have much in common. The collection of The Asia and the Pacific Museum in Warsaw contains fabrics, dresses, jewelry, ceramics, metal wares and other objects from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.