SECRETS OF THE SILK ROAD TOUR
FULL DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 - Fri 18 August
Arrival Tashkent (2 nights)
On arrival at Islam Karimov, Tashken's International Airport you'll be met by our representative and privately transferred to our hotel centrally situated in the new part of the capital of Uzbekistan.Accommodation: Hyatt Regency (or similar)
Day 2 - Sat 19 August
Tashkent - Sightseeing
Tashkent is the biggest city in Central Asia and it's known the world over as a city of friendship. After a leisurely breakfast we'll commence our full day tour in the old part of the city including
the Khast Imam Architectural Complex, the mediaeval Kukeldash Madrassah and Tashkent's most well-known market, the impressive Chorsu Bazaar. We'll enjoy an included lunch before visiting the city's
new area where we'll explore the Independence Square, the Amir Timur Square, the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan and the Alisher Navoi Theatre, the home of Uzbekistan's National Opera and Ballet.Tonight's dinner is in a local restaurant. (BLD)
Day 3 - Sun 20 August
Tashkent - Samarkand (3 nights)
We start the day with an early breakfast before we're transferred to Tashkent's Main Railway Station to board our Afrosiab (a high-speed fast train) for our journey to Samarkand. We'll depart at 08:00
and the 344 kilometre trip, in business class seats, will take about 130 minutes. On arrival in Samarkand we'll check into our hotel and the afternoon and evening is ours to do with as we wish. (B) Accommodation: Grand Samarkand Superior (or similar)
Day 4 - Mon 21 August
Samarkand - Sightseeing
Samarkand is close to the birthplace of the legendary conqueror Amir Timur (also known as Tamerlane) and it boasts the biggest Mausoleums, Madrassahs and Mosques in Central Asia. This morning's agenda
takes in the Gur Emir, the Mausoleum where Amir Timur and all his family are buried and the Bibi-Khanam Mosque, which, built by the eldest wife of Tamerlane as a gift to her husband, was the biggest
Mosque ever built in Central Asia. Our next stop is in Registan Square with its world famous complex of three Madrassahs and the Golden Dome Mosque. Close by is the Siyob Bazaar, a unique place where
we can get acquainted with the life of the Samarkand people and spend some time for lunch. This afternoon our first visit is to the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, a holy site and cemetery established over
1000 years ago. It has been expanded over the centuries and now houses the remains of a great number of people, both famous and unknown, including the graves of members of the Timur dynasty and the grave
of Kusam ibn Abbas, purported to be a cousin of the Prophet Muhamed. Our sightseeing day finishes with a visit to the Ulegh Beg Observatory, an incredible structure built in the 15th century for studying
astronomy, and then we'll return to Registan Square where there'll be free time to browse in the bazaar before returning to our hotel for dinner. (BD)
Day 5 - Tue 22 August
Samarkand - Excursion to Penjikent (Tajikistan)
After breakfast we'll leave our hotel at 08:00 and a 60 minute drive will bring us to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border at Jartepa. Here we'll complete Passport & Customs control on both sides, cross
the border (a walk of around 100 metres), then meet our local Tajik guide and take a 40 minute drive to Penjikent, 30 kilometres east of the crossing. In Penjikent we'll first visit the Rudaki Museum, a
museum of local history featuring frescoes from the ancient city of Penjikent. Afterwards we'll visit the Central Bazaar followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Penjikent was a major Sogdian city dating
back to the 5th century but was destroyed by Arab conquerors in the 8th century. After lunch and a short drive we'll visit these ancient ruins before a late afternoon arrival back at the Jartepa border
crossing. We'll complete Passport and Customs formalities then, later in the evening, we'll be back at our hotel in Samarkand in time for dinner. (BLD)
Day 6 - Wed 23 August
Samarkand - Bukhara (3 nights)
The ceramics of Gijduvan are internationally famous thanks to Abdulla Narzullaev, Master of Ceramics of Gijguvan. En route to Bukhara we'll visit the Narzullaev family's house-museum-workshop to see how
this beautiful pottery is created. Photo opportunities abound as we travel the 278 kilometres from Samarkand to Bukhara so we'll stop for views of cotton fields, a cotton factory and at the ruins of the
ancient Caravanserai Rabati Malik, a 'motel' for traders built along the Great Silk Road. On arrival in the fairy-tale city of Bukhara, an oasis that the Silk Road merchants never missed,
we'll have time to relax before dinner in our hotel. (BD)Accommodation: Asia Bukhara (or similar)
Day 7- Thu 24 August
Bukhara - Sightseeing
Bukhara is unlike any other city in Uzbekistan and today its architectural wonders beckon to us! Along with our local guide we spend the whole day amongst them. There's so much to see! Our first stop this
morning is in Samani Park where we'll visit the Samanid Mausoleum, the oldest preserved building of Central Asia. It was completed in 905 for Ismail Samani (the founder of the Samanid dynasty), and
contains his grave along with the graves of his father and grandson. Next we'll visit the Chashma-Ayub (Well of Job) Mausoleum where, legend has it; Job struck the rock with his staff and created a
spring of pure water with healing powers. Old Bukhara is a fascinating area of the city and here we'll visit the Poi Kalon, an ensemble of striking buildings including the Kalon Minaret (built in 1227
and over 46 metres high), the Emir Alim Khan Madrassah, the Kalon Mosque (started in the 12th century, finished in the 16th century and boasts 288 domes) and the Mir-i-Arab Madrassah. This Madrassah
is still a fully functioning Madrassah today, and in the Soviet era was the only one allowed to maintain teaching and was therefore the Islamic centre of the Soviet Union. We'll browse through the Taqi
(Trading Domes) before enjoying an included lunch in a local restaurant and then resume our tour by visiting the Kukeldash Madrassah and the Lyab-i-Hauz ensemble to admire the reflection of the blue domes
of its Mosque in its adjacent pond. We'll see the Madrassah of Nadir Divanbegi which is special because its mosaics depict animals instead of the much more common geometrical shapes. While in this
area we'll also see the Madrassahs of Magok-i-Attari, Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan. Our afternoon exploration concludes with a visit to the Registan ensemble and one of the city's oldest structures,
the Ark, a massive white Citadel which has protected the entrance to Old Bukhara for nearly 15 centuries and now houses several museums, a mosque and old stables. Close by is the Bolo-Hauz Mosque with
its towering intricately carved wooden pillars... definitely worth a visit before we relax and enjoy a Folklore Show which also features the National Costumes of Uzbekistan. Tonight's dinner is a special
occasion when we're invited to a local house to learn about preparing and cooking 'plov' (a dish of lamb and rice) which then becomes the main course for our evening meal! (BLD)
Day 8 - Fri 25 August
Bukhara - At Leisure
Today we have the whole day to do as we wish. We can use our new-found knowledge of this cosmopolitan city to further explore it, re-visit sites from the previous day, shop in the Bazaar or relax pool-side
in our hotel. The choice is ours. (B)
Day 9 - Sat 26 August
Bukhara - Turkmenabat - Mary (1 night)
The border crossing between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan is at Farap, a 75 minute drive from Bukhara. We'll arrive at approximately 09:00 and after completing Passport and Customs formalities (a process
of up to 3hrs) we'll meet our Turkmen Guide and coach. We'll continue to our included lunch stop at a local restaurant in the city of Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan's second largest city located at the hub
of an intersection between 3 roads of the Great Silk Road, leading to Bukhara, Khiva and Merv. After lunch our afternoon drive includes photo-stops for camels and sand dunes before arriving in the city of
Mary late afternoon with time to freshen up before dinner in a local restaurant. (BLD) Accommodation: Hotel Mary (or similar)
Day 10 - Sun 27 August
Mary - Merv - Ashgabat (3 nights)
A short drive this morning brings us to the UNESCO site known as the State Historical and Cultural Park, or - 'Ancient Merv' where we'll find the oldest and most completely preserved oasis cities built along
the Silk Roads in Central Asia. This huge archaeological site contains the remains of population centres spanning 4000 years, from the Bronze Age (2500-1200 BC) and Iron Age (1200-300 BC) to the 15th and 16th
centuries AD. While here we'll visit the Gyz Gala & Oglan Gala, the Complex of Askhabs, the Gawur Gala & Erk Gala, the Mausoleum of Soltan Sanjar and the Mausoleum of Muhammed Ibn Zeyd before we return
to Mary and our included lunch in a local restaurant. This afternoon we'll explore Mary by first visiting the United Museum of Mary and the Orthodox Church, followed by a short walking tour where many photo
opportunities arise when we pass the main Mosque of Mary, the Central Library of Mary, the Kemine Theatre and the Ruhiyet Palace Convention Centre. Early this evening we'll join a 40 minute flight taking us to
Ashgabat, the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. On arrival later this evening we'll first enjoy an included dinner in a local restaurant before checking into our hotel located in the foothills
of the Kopetdag Mountains, just a few minutes' drive from the centre of Ashgabat. (BLD)Accommodation: Hotel Yyldyz (or similar)