15 days | Miracle of Orient of Uzbekistan

Arrival to Tashkent. Meet your guide at the exit of the airport. Transfer to hotel. 

Tashkent- capital of Uzbekistan:

• Museum of Applied Arts – building draws your attention with it’s bright carved plaster decorations “ganch” and carved wood. There are also exhibits of ceramics, textiles, jewelry, musical instruments and toys
• Independence (Mustakillik) Square – former “Red Square” the main square of Tashkent with the monument to the victims of the World War II.
• Navoi Theatre – (exterior only). Planning and construction started in 1940 and completed in 1947 by Japanese prisoners of war.
• Monument “Courage” – this is the monument to the victims of the earthquake in 1967, after which Tashkent was entirely reconstructed.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

• Amir Temur Square – central park with the statue of Amir Temur
• Tashkent Metro stations – construction began in 1972 and five years later the first train run.
• Khast Imom Complex including Barak Khan Madrassah, Kaffal Shashi mausoleum, Quran Library & Mosque.
• The Roman Catholic Church of Tashkent 

O/n at hotel.

After breakfast drive to Fergana via Kokand through Kamchik pass.
Kokand city:

• Khudoyar Khan Palace (XIX c.) – the Palace of last khan Khudoyar. The Palace with 7 courtyards & 113 rooms, was completed in 1873, just three years before “tsar” troops arrived
• Norbutabey madrassah (XVIII c.) – one of two acting madrassahs
• Djuma mosque (XIX c.) – The city’s Friday mosque reopened in 1989 after decades of neglect & today accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers.
• Modari Khan mausoleum (XIX c.) – built in 1825 for the khan’s mother.
• Dakhma Shokhon (XIX c.) – “Grave of King”, the tomb of the Khan and other family members.

Lunch at a local restaurant.
Continue driving to Fergana. Arrival to hotel. 

O/n at hotel.

After breakfast,

Visit Margilan.
Margilan – a small town well known with its best “atlas” – a traditional colorful fabric.

• Silk factory “Yodgorlik”, where you can see the process of silk production.
• Visit of Bazaar of Margilan
• Lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Rishtan.

• Rishtan pottery center – famous potters and ceramic products of the region came from Rishtan. They are also well known in whole Central Asia. There is a special style, named Rishtan style in local ceramic art.
  Ceramic master’s house. You can see the process of making hand-made ceramic as well as small exhibition of ceramic products.

Back to Fergana.
O/n at hotel.

• Breakfast. Drive to Tashkent.
• Lunch stop on route.
  Upon arrival to Tashkent transfer to the airport for flight to Nukus by evening flight.
  Arrival and transfer to hotel for accommodation.
  O/n at hotel.

• Breakfast. Drive to Muynak.
  Muynak – the city once supplied all Central Asia with fish products and located just on the shore of Aral Sea. Now it is deserted and Aral Sea shores are far away from it.
• “Cemetery of ships” – Muynak was one of the biggest ports in Uzbekistan and people traveled by river.
• Muynak Local History museum
• Lunch on route. Drive back to Nukus.
  O/n at hotel.

After breakfast,

• Savitskiy Art Museum. The museum treasures the most valuable collection of paintings by the Russian avant-gardes.
• Mizdakhan – the archeological site Mizdakhan keeps treasures of the ancient Khorezm, such as the ruins of Gjaur-Kala, the mausoleums Mazlumkhan Sulu and Shamun-Nabi as well as Halifa-Erezhep, and the necropolis, where you can find both – nowadays and ancient tombs.
• Lunch break.
• Driving to Ayaz Kala.
  Ayaz Qala – east of the Qavat Qala has an impressive mud-walled hilltop fortress from the 6-7th centuries.
• Dinner in yurts.

Accommodation in yurts upon arrival.

1. Breakfast.
   Excursion around Ayaz Kala.
   Drive to Toprak Kala.
   Toprak Qala – this is 2000 year old ruined city fortress. It is most dramatic and best explored in that region. The settlement grew up in the 1c. BC and flourished in the 3rd c. under Kushan patronage as a capital of the region, until superseded by Kath in 305 AD.
2. Lunch in Yurts.
   Depart to Khiva.
   Arrival and accommodation at hotel.
   O/n at hotel.

1. After breakfast:
   Muhammad Amin Khan Medressa and Kalta Minor – the first building at the entrance to the city built in the 1850 and serves as hotel in Khiva.
   Djuma mosque (X – XVII c) the mosque, the roof of which lies on 212 wooden fretted columns with unique acoustics and original technical ideas for natural lighting.
   Kunya ark (XVII c) – an inner fortress with administrative buildings, gunpowder works, law courts and mosque.
   Pakhlavan Makhmud complex (XIV – XIX c) – the most remarkable architecture memorial complex in Khiva with unique tiles.
   Islam Khodja minaret and madrassah (1908) – 45 m high. It is the highest building in Khiva with the observation area.
2. Lunch at a local restaurant.
   Continue of sightseeing in Khiva:
   Nurulla Bai Palace 1906-1912 the fortified courtyard of Isfandiyar Khan’s residence.
   Toza Bog Palace 1893-1913 – the summer residence of Mohammed Rakhim Khan II stands halfway between the European and Central Asian worlds.

O/n at hotel.

1. Breakfast in hotel.
   Morning departure to Bukhara by coach through flora and fauna of Kyzyi Kum desert. For centuries it marked the northern limits of Transoxiana and the edge of the boundless nomadic steppe. You will see Amu Darya one of two rivers of Central Asia separating Kyzyi Kum from Kara Kum of Tukrmenistan.
2. Lunch stop on route. Continue driving to Bukhara.
   Bukhara – this is one of ancient cities in the world which was capital of Samanid state in the 9th and 10th centuries that called “Bukhoro-i Sharif”.

O/n in hotel.

1. After breakfast:
   ARK Fortress (VI – XIX c) – in middle age it was a whole town with the emirs house, harem, mosques, government institutes, store rooms, prison and square for public executions.
   Bolo Khauz Mosque (1712) Mosque.
   Samanid’s mausoleum (IX – X c) – it was the first building in Central Asia constructed from backed bricks in the shape of a cube covered by a dome with unrepeatable geometrical brickwork design – a masterpiece of world architecture.
   Chashma Ayub Mausoleum – the original construction dates from the 12th century rule of Karakhanid Arslan Khan, the earliest surviving dome was raised by Amir Temur in 1380 over the existing tomb chamber.
   Poikalon (XII – XVI c) architectural ensemble in the center of old Bukhara – includes the cathedral mosque “Masjidi Kalon”, “Miri Arab” madrasah and the highest minaret (46 m) at that time in the Orient.
   Ulugbek Madrassah 1417 was the earliest of three commissioned by the enlightened Timutid ruler (the other two stand in Samarkand and Gijduvan) and his secular influence dominates the exterior design of the religious college.
   Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassah (1652), glittering in mercifully unrestored 17th century glory.
2. Lunch at a traditional restaurant.
   Continue of city tour:
   Tim Abdullakhan was built in 1577 and was one of the most elegant trade halls in Bukhara where silk and wool was sold by Afghan trades.
   Trading Domes consists of three trading centers: Tok-i-Zargaron (1570) – Jeweler’s Bazaar, Tok-i-Tilpak Furushon – Cap Maker’s Bazaar, Tok-i-Sarrafon – Moneychanger’s Bazaar.
   Magoki Attori – in 937 the four-pillared mosque was burn the ground in a city-wide fire and in the 12th century the present mosque was erected, from which the focus of the mosque, the original southern portal remains.
   Laby Khauz complex

O/n in hotel.

1. Breakfast. Leave for Bukhara region via Giduvan city.
   Gijduvan city is famous with Ceramic Pottery. There are potteries of 5th generation in Gijduvan.
   Visit Ceramic Pottery Workshop and Master’s House. Watch full process of Ceramic making and small house-museum of ceramic.
2. Continue driving to Samarkand.
   Samarkand – the Eden of ancient East, the most precious pearl in the Islamic world. Samarkand – called Marakanda in the 4th century BC, whoever tried to conquer it! During the centuries the city has been invaded by troops of Alexander the Great, Arabian invaders, Chingiz Khan and Tamerlane. Today romance of Samarkand still works its magic, alluring the traveler with a dreamlike quality.
3. Lunch at hotel. Free time to rest after long tiresome journey.
   O/n at hotel.

1. Breakfast.
   Registan Square (XV–XVIlc) official center of Timur Empire consist of grandious madrasahs of Ulugbek, Sher Dor & Tillya Kari.
   Gur Amir mausoleum (XV c) Timurids dynastic burial tombs. A unique monument of arhitecture with blue ribbed tessellated dome.
2. Lunch at a traditional restaurant.
   Continue SS:
   Bibi Khanym mosque.
   Oriental Bazar “Siah”
   Shahi Zinda mausoleum (XIV–XV c) ‘Town of Dead’ a complex of more than 20 unique buildings of different ages.

O/n in hotel.

Samarkand

1. Ulugbek’s Observatory (XV c) 1st observatory in orient with 30m sextant built by Ulugbek to make exact astronomical catalogue.
   Afrosiab museum & Afrosiab Hill – each hall of the museum contains exhibits of some certain period of history of Afrasiab. In one hall remarkable ancient wall paintings are exhibited. Afrosiab Hill is a place of ancient city-fort Afrasiab, named after legendary king of Turan.
   “Konigil Meros” Water Mill & Paper Factory – the craftsmen of organization “Konigil Meros” produce hand made Samarkand Paper by ancient recipe from mulberry tree bark. You can watch all the process of production and try to do it by yourselves.
2. Lunch at a local restaurant.
   Drive to Tashkent and transfer to hotel for accomodation.
   O/n in hotel.

1. After breakfast drive to Chimgan mountains (100 km) by bus. It is a very picturesque place surrounded by Tian-Shan mountains from where one can observe some snow peaks. We shall stop in Amirsay resort where we take funicular (a cable car- additional fee on request) and to see the landscape of this area.
2. Lunch at the restaurant Fayz.
   Charwaq resort is set up right at Charwaq water reservoir which is called here as Charwaq sea. Return about 18:00 arrive to Tashkent.
   Dinner at local restaurant.
   Overnight at hotel.

Transfer to the airport for international flight to home country.

End of the tour