THE SILK ROAD IN UZBEKISTAN - 12 DAYS

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  FRIDAY: PARIS/URGENCH

  Welcome at Charles de Gaulle airport and assistance with departure formalities. 21:00 - Departure to Urgench on direct regular Uzbekistan Airlines flight (HY 254) (flight duration: approximately 6h10). Dinner and overnight on board.

• day 2

  SATURDAY: URGENCH/KHIVA

  06:10 am - Welcome at Urgench airport by your local French-speaking guide. Departure by coach to Khiva (28 km). Check-in at your hotel in Khiva. Breakfast. Departure for the visit of Khiva: the Kalta-Minor, the unfinished minaret, Kounia-Ark, the old fortress, the prison, the palace, the summer mosque, the Djouma mosque ("Friday mosque"), the Allakouli Khan caravanserai, the Tach Khaouli palace, the sumptuous harem, the mausoleum of Pakhlavan-Mahmoud, the Islam-Khodja minaret, etc. Lunch and dinner in town. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  SUNDAY: KHIVA/BUKHARA

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Bukhara across the Kizyl Kum desert. Lunch in a Baghdad café, in the middle of the Kizyl Kum desert. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner in town. Traditional, with old-world charm and an authentic way of life, Bukhara is the oldest city in Central Asia; a prosperous oasis that experienced a prodigious cultural and religious boom under the Samanid dynasty in the 9th century. Long the capital of an important khanate, it is today the only city in the region with a historic center that is both intact and still inhabited.

• day 4

  MONDAY: BUKHARA

  Breakfast at the hotel. Day dedicated to visiting Bukhara: the Poï-Kalian complex with its ancient Karakhanid minaret (1127), the vast Kalian mosque with its galleries of 288 domes and its beautiful mihrab. Facing the mosque, the Miri-Arab madrasa, the Ulugh Beg (15th c.) and Abdoulaziz Khan (17th c.) madrasas. Lunch during the visit. The Magok Attor mosque, one of the oldest in the city, is located on the site of an ancient Zoroastrian temple. The visit continues around the Liabi-Khaouz complex, particularly harmonious and pleasant, including the Koukeldach madrasa, the khanaka and the Nadir Divan Beghi madrasa, as well as the merchant domes, of which 3 examples remain in Bukhara. These buildings were placed at the intersection of important streets; they housed dozens of shops and merchant stalls. The remaining ones display fabrics, hats, etc. Folklore dinner at the Nadir Divan Beghi madrasa. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  TUESDAY: BUKHARA

  Breakfast at the hotel. Continuation of visits in Bukhara: the Ark citadel, fortress of the rulers, 2000 years old, which dominates the Registan, historically the main square of the city; the Bolo Khaouz mosque, whose west façade is reflected in the 16th-century khaouz that gave it its name; the mausoleum of Ismail Samani (9th century), one of the oldest monuments in the world dedicated to the memory of a Muslim figure; Chor Minor, or "4 minarets," etc. Then visit a site outside the city: the summer palace, Sitora i Makhi Khossa. The complex is influenced by European architecture with its "white room." Lunch during the visit at the restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  WEDNESDAY: Bukhara / Vabkent / Rabat Malik / Yanguigazgan

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Vobkent. Visit of its Karakhanid minaret (1198). Continue towards Navoï. Skirting the oasis and the entrance to the desert east of Bukhara, the landscape evokes the great crossings of caravans of the past. The purpose of this journey is precisely the discovery of Rabati Malik, an ancient and important caravanserai of the Silk Road, of which essentially a monumental gate remains, built during the Karakhanid dynasty in the 11th century. Opposite, you will find the Malik Sardoba, the well and cistern of the caravanserai, renovated in the 15th century. Lunch en route. Continue towards the yurt camp of Yanghi Gazgan. After settling into the yurts, you can go for a camel ride (2 to 3 hours). The best way to imagine the life of a caravan on the Silk Road! Dinner outdoors, around the campfire. Dinner and overnight in the yurt.

• day 7

  THURSDAY: Yanguigazgan / Lake Aydarkoul / Samarkand

  Breakfast. Departure to Lake Aydarkoul. It is a slightly salty water lake, 250 km long and 15 km wide, which is a consequence of works from the Soviet period. Picnic lunch by the lake. Departure for Samarkand. The city, located in the Zeravchan valley and occupying the center of the Silk Road, already existed at the time of Alexander the Great. The ancient capital of Timur-Leng (Tamerlane) was nicknamed "the Eden of the Orient." Tamerlane wanted to make it the capital of capitals, and it is true that the discovery of this azure stone garden that is Samarkand leaves a deep impression on visitors. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  FRIDAY: SAMARKAND

  Breakfast at the hotel. Visit: the mausoleum of Tamerlane, a splendid complex around the famous green nephrite tombstone of Tamerlane and other tombstones of his relatives, which overlook the actual tombs located in the crypt. Registan Square, the highlight of any trip to Uzbekistan, is a dazzling ensemble that is among the most beautiful and remarkable there is. First, the perspective is majestic and further enhanced by the skillfully combined proportions of the three madrasas: Ulugh Beg (1420), Chir Dor (1636), these first two facing each other, and Tillia Kari (1660). Then, the decoration of the portals and minarets is sumptuous, with their panels of carved and glazed mosaic. Lunch during the visits. Continuation of the visits in the afternoon: the Bibi Khanym mosque, named after Tamerlane's favorite wife, who acted as regent during her husband's many military campaigns. Built in 5 years, it is truly grand in scale, with an inner courtyard of 130 meters by 102, and two minarets of 50 meters. The Samarkand market is located near the Bibi Khanym mosque. Dinner in town. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  SATURDAY: EXCURSION TO CHAKHRISABZ/SAMARKAND

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure towards Chakhrisiabz. Tamerlane was born near this village in 1336 and decided to build Ak-Sarai, the "White Palace," there to commemorate this august event. He soon added a mausoleum intended to house his remains as well as those of his favorite son, and renamed the village of Kech to Chakhrisiabz, "drowned in greenery." Lunch in a traditional Uzbek house. Visit of the city of Chakhrisiabz: the Ak Sarai Palace, former residence of Tamerlane where only part of the main entrance arch remains and where a few gold leaves can still be seen clinging to the enamel; the Kok Gumbaz Mosque, so called because of its blue dome and which was the Friday mosque of Chakhrisiabz; the mausoleum of Shamseddin Kulial. Shamseddin was the spiritual master of Tamerlane's father and legend has it that the building houses their two remains; the mausoleum of Gumbazi Seyidon (1438), created by Tamerlane's grandson, Ulugh Beg, and which was meant to house his tomb as well as those of his descendants. Return to Samarkand and arrival at the hotel. Dinner with a local family. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  SUNDAY: SAMARKAND/TASHKENT

  Breakfast at the hotel. Visit of Samarkand. The impression is different from that of Bukhara, as the monuments, although more spectacular, are scattered throughout a mostly modern city. You will see: the necropolis of Shakhi Zinda, of the "living king", a place of pilgrimage to the spot where one of Muhammad's cousins is said to have disappeared after being beheaded by the inhabitants of Samarkand, who resisted one of the first Arab invasion attempts. The large funerary mosque is accessed via a unique alignment of mausoleums whose glazed decorations are among the most beautiful in Central Asia. Visit of the Ulugh Beg observatory, the grandson of Tamerlane, who was a renowned scholar. A more scientific visit on the site of the greatest perfection astronomy could reach before the invention of the telescope. Visit of the Afrosiab museum, where you will admire 7th-century frescoes found in the palace of Varkhouman. The most precious item in this museum is a 6th-century frieze that occupies the entire central hall and depicts a caravan bringing gifts to the ruler. It is one of the finest pieces of Sogdian art. Lunch. Road to Tashkent, arrival at the hotel. Dinner in town. Night at the hotel.

• day 11

  MONDAY: TASHKENT

  Breakfast. Panoramic tour of the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan: Tamerlane Square (Amir Timur), the epicenter of the earthquake with the monument to the solidarity of the republics of the former Soviet Union, the Koukeldache and Barakh-Khan madrasahs, the Kaffal Shashi mausoleum, etc. Stop at the Abdul Kassim madrasah, which today houses many artisan workshops. Lunch in the city. Visit to the Museum of Uzbek Applied Arts, the only museum in Central Asia with a significant international collection. In the sumptuous residence of Prince Polovtsev, which he had built and decorated in 1907 in the Uzbek style by the best local craftsmen, you can see collections of traditional Uzbek handicrafts: carved wood and metal objects, fabrics, painted wood, embroideries, ceramics, silver jewelry, etc. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 12

  TUESDAY: TASHKENT / PARIS

  Breakfast. Visit of the metro, the pride of the Uzbeks. Return to the hotel for lunch. Transfer to the airport. 15:00 Departure of the direct regular flight Uzbekistan Airlines (HY 251). (Flight duration: about 7h25). 19:25 Arrival at Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport. End of our services.