The celestial horses of Central Asia

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Tashkent

  Arrival at Tashkent airport. Transfer to the hotel. Breakfast and rest after the flight. Visit of the old city; Khasti Imam complex. Lunch in the city. The eclectic and cosmopolitan capital of Uzbekistan. The largest metropolis in Central Asia; The "city of stones," which the Greek geographer Ptolemy already described as the astonishing crossroads of caravans coming from East and West, has become a modern and dynamic city with glass towers, the vibrant economic heart of the country. On AMIR TIMOUR square, on horseback, has replaced the sickle, the hammer, and the head of Karl Marx. It has become the symbol of Uzbek independence! The immense MUSTAKILLIK square is lined with palaces, animated by fountains. Dinner in a local restaurant with skewers and Uzbek vodka.

• day 2

  Tashkent – Samarkand

  Breakfast. Transfer to the station to take the Afrosiyob TGV. Arrival in Samarkand. Samarkand, "mirror of the world", "garden of the soul", "jewel of Islam", "pearl of the Orient", "center of the universe", this fabulous oasis of the Kyzyl Kum, one of the largest caravan cities on the Silk Roads (this great axis stretching from the Mediterranean to China), is over 20,000 years old! The fortified city was founded by the Persians in the 7th century BC; in the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great seized "Maracanda". Some traces of its ramparts remain. It was devastated by the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan, but his descendant Tamerlane made it, in the 14th century, the capital of a vast empire, from the Black Sea to the Indian Punjab, and covered it with grandiose monuments, as did his successors. The conqueror gathered there, by force, some of the best scholars and artists of his time: poets, architects, painters, astronomers. THE MAUSOLEUM OF GUR EMIR, Tamerlane's jade tomb, symbol of the greatness of the Uzbek nation, its ribbed dome rises more than 30 m towards the sky; the interior in gold and sky blue mosaics is "like the firmament". Lunch. The majestic REGHISTAN square with its three monumental madrasas: that of Ulugh Beg with blue stars (the largest university in Central Asia), that of Shir Dor where fire tigers carry the sun, that of Tilla Khari covered in gold. This "sandy square" was the main place for bazaars, military parades, and public executions. Dinner. Night at the hotel.

• day 3

  Samarkand – Pilol village - Samarkand

  Breakfast Departure to the village to discover the making of the special saddle for buzkashi horses. (The solid buzkashi saddle is made with pieces of wood reinforced with animal tendons.) Lunch in the village at a local's home. Discovery of trained horses, the rider's equipment, and a demonstration of their qualities.

• day 4

  Samarkand – Shakhrisabz - Samarkand

  Departure for the city of Shakhrisabz (150 km). Steppe landscape bordered by mountains. On the way, a stop to see the maker of traditional boots worn by Uzbek horsemen. Visit of the splendid medieval monuments of the city. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the KASHKA DARIA region, it was the birthplace of Tamerlane. He had a mausoleum built there for his son and planned to be buried there himself. Tamerlane had the best craftsmen from conquered countries deported there and had rich houses, mosques, madrasas, caravanserais, and tombs built, decorated with blue and gold enamel for his father and son. Above all, he built the AK SARAI, the "white palace"; almost nothing remains of the palace described by the Castilian ambassador Clavijo, destroyed by the Emir of Bukhara in the 16th century, except for a huge portal sumptuously decorated with majolica. The afternoon is devoted to the visit: DOR US TILIAVAT was built by Tamerlane in 1373 for his father and a famous Sufi. KOK GOUMBAZ MOSQUE was built by Ulugh Beg, with walls and domes covered in polychrome geometric patterns; MAKBARAT GOUMBAZ SAYYIDAN, built by Ulugh Beg: the interior is superbly decorated with geometric and floral frescoes. DOR US SIADAD, mausoleum of Djahangir, Tamerlane's favorite son, who died at 22 from a fall from a horse; Tamerlane's grief was immense. Chakhrissabz is also an old center of art embroidery and ceramics. Departure for Samarkand. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Samarkand

  Breakfast. Visit: THE BIBI KHANUM MOSQUE: according to legend, built by a princess from Khorasan, Tamerlane's favorite wife (which cost her her life!). The largest in Central Asia. 95 elephants from India brought the enormous blocks. Despite the ravages of men and earthquakes, it has regained the splendor of its blue dome. THE BAZAAR, in the shadow of Bibi Khanum, where a colorful crowd gathers, is full of melons, spices, and decorated breads. SHAH-I ZINDA: a narrow street climbs the hill of ancient Afrosyab, lined with mausoleums from the 11th to the 15th century, surrounding the tomb of a saint, Ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet. Apotheosis of the art of ceramics: the luxuriance of enameled and chiseled floral motifs evokes the gardens of paradise... Lunch plov (traditional dish). Visit to the ULUGH BEG observatory, one of the greatest astronomers of the 15th century (whose giant instruments we have seen in India). THE AFRASYAB HISTORICAL MUSEUM: 5th-century frescoes show a wedding procession: a princess from Sukhandaria, perched on a white elephant, comes to marry a king of Sogdiana! They come from the Palace of ancient Samarkand conquered by Alexander, the carpet factory. Dinner. Night at the hotel.

• day 6

  Samarkand – Nurata – Yurt camp.

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure towards Nourata. Traditional lunch in a guesthouse in Nourata. Visit of Nourata with the Tchachma complex and the sacred spring, then the ruins of an ancient citadel of Alexander the Great. Continue the journey towards Lake Aydarkul, with the possibility to swim in the clear waters of the lake. Accommodation under yurts. Camel ride on Bactrian camels in the sand dunes around the camp. In the evening, aperitif under the stars (vodka, wine, beer), then dinner around the campfire, with music and traditional songs by the Kazakh troubadour Akyn. Night under the yurt.

• day 7

  Yurt camp – Bukhara

  Departure towards Bukhara. On the way, stop to visit the remains of the ancient caravanserai Rabat-i-Malik and the Sardoba water reservoir. Continue on the road, with another stop to visit Guijdouvan to discover the workshop of master ceramist Abdullo. Excursion to the Museum of Ceramics and the pottery workshop, then discovery of traditional silk thread embroidery, practiced by the women of the family. Lunch. CHOR MINOR is a madrasa with astonishing architecture, flanked by four slender minarets with blue domes. SITORI I MOKHI KHOSA, Palace of the Moon and Stars, the summer residence of the Emirs of Bukhara, is located in a vast park and blends Russian architecture with oriental decor! The White Hall features finely carved plasterwork on a mirrored background. Stalactite niches hold superb multicolored bouquets. The harem houses an embroidery museum with the most beautiful suzani. By a luminous pool, the PALACE OF THE LAST EMIR SITORAI MAKHI KHOSA hesitates between Russian and oriental style. It has reception rooms where decorative art objects and national costumes embroidered with gold are displayed side by side. The white hall features sculpted plasterwork on a mirrored background. THE ALLEYS OF BUKHARA: one gets lost in this labyrinth, where you discover weaver or gold embroiderer artisans, potters, and small dilapidated shrines. "In the labyrinth of winding alleys with uneven and rough ground, it is the Orient of Asia as it was several centuries ago, in the time of Marco Polo or Tamerlane himself." Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  Bukhara.

  Breakfast at the hotel. Days dedicated to visits of Bukhara "the noble" (UNESCO). Bukhara "the Holy": "the dome of Islam", "the Pillar of religion", "the beauty of the spirit", is the most secret of caravan cities, the best preserved of the oriental cities. An oasis in the heart of the red desert, the Kyzyl Kum. Achaemenid city of the 6th century, conquered by Alexander, destroyed by the hordes of Genghis Khan then by Tamerlane, by the tsar's troops then by the Bolsheviks, and constantly reborn. It was one of the most important spiritual and intellectual centers of the country, attracting students from Arabia, Iraq, and Spain to its madrasas. THE OLD CITY OR CHAKHRISTAN THE WALLS OF BUKHARA protected the city from nomadic attacks until the Russian conquest of 1920, which left very little of the 25 km of ramparts. THE FORTRESS OF THE EMIR OR ARK, with its powerful crenellated walls, was the residence of the lords of Bukhara. It stands on Reghistan Square in all its majesty, largely destroyed in 1920. The Throne Room witnessed many coronations. Reception hall, music pavilion, harem chambers follow one another. From its splendid terrace, view of the monuments of Bukhara. Lunch. THE BOLO KHAOUZ MOSQUE is one of the most beautiful in the city with its wooden pillars and ceilings. The emir performed his prayers there under a splendid dome. The Iwan is one of the most elegant in all Central Asia. THE KALYAN MOSQUE has the most beautiful 16th-century ornamentations, the mihrab is adorned with dazzling mosaics. THE POY KALON SQUARE: religious center of holy Bukhara, the most monumental: the Mir-i-Arab madrasa with its majestic Iwan faces the immense Kalon mosque and its terrible minaret "tower of death" from the 12th century, a beacon that guided lost caravans in the vast deserts of the Karakum to the caravanserai. Merchant domes and covered passages are an original feature of Bukhara's architecture: Tak-i-Zargaron, the dome of the jewelers, or the dome of the hatters, or TAK-I-SARAFAN, the dome of the money changers: the covered galleries house many shops. The covered market of ABDULLAH KHAN is reserved for beautiful ikat silk fabrics and sumptuous carpets. THE ISMAEL SAMANI MAUSOLEUM, the oldest building in Bukhara, buried under several meters of earth, was spared by the Mongol tornado. It is over 1000 years old, the richness of the carved brick patterns is remarkable. The TCHACHMA AYOUB mausoleum: the prophet Job made a miraculous spring gush forth there. THE LIAB-I-KHAOUZ: around a huge pool stand three 16th-century madrasas, decorated with fantastic simurgh birds. Bearded old men gather there to drink tea, play backgammon, or watch time go by. THE OULOUGH BEGH MADRASA, sober and majestic: stars recall the prince's passion for astronomy. THE ABDUL AZIZ KHAN MADRASA: the mosaic of the entrance portal is a luminous yellow vegetal lattice with simurgh birds and a dragon. THE NADIR DIVAN BEGHI MADRASA: a sun shines between two facing simurgh birds. THE MAGOKI ATTARI MOSQUE, the 12th-century portal, is one of the most perfect architectural works of Bukhara. Dinners, including one with folk music at the Nodir Devon Beghi Madrassa.

• day 9

  Bukhara – Khiva.

  Breakfast. Drive to Khiva. The road passes through the Kyzyl Kum desert and you travel between sand dunes. Previously, caravans heading west passed through this part of the Silk Road, which connected the western cities to Khiva. Lunch on the road in a small tchaykhana. Arrival in Khiva and check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  Khiva.

  Breakfast. KHIVA "THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT" Capital of KHOREZM, an important oasis on the Silk Roads, in the heart of the KYZYL KOUM desert, at the crossroads of caravan routes from Persia, Russia, and India. Legend has it that it was founded by SHEM, a son of Noah, after a blazing dream. The citadel of Itchan Kala (UNESCO) Imposing mud-brick walls, bristling with crenellations and punctuated by powerful towers, surrounded it for more than 2 km. Inside are palaces, madrasas, mosques, caravanserais, built by the KHANS, ruthless rivals of Bukhara. It is a museum-city, emptied of its inhabitants by the Soviets in 1960. Even though it celebrated its 2500th anniversary, most of the buildings date from the 17th to the 19th century. The Kunia Ark is the ancient citadel, the fortified refuge of all the Khans. The famous iwan of the reception hall is covered with blue and white majolica. The summer mosque features sumptuous floral decorations. The Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmoud is the most beautiful monument in the city, the most sacred place in Khiva. Its turquoise dome houses the city's patron saint: a wrestler, furrier, and poet of the 14th century. The Minaret and the Medersa Islam Khodja dominate the whole city with their colored rings: from the top of its 120 steps, the view of the surrounding desert and Khiva is unforgettable. The Madrasa houses a Museum of Applied Arts: woodwork, carpets, hangings... Lunch. Continuation of the visit of Khiva, the "open-air museum city". The Tach Khaouli Palace or "Stone Palace", the new palace of the 19th-century khan. The iwans feature dazzling blue and white majolica decorations. You visit the audience hall and the court with admirable decorations by Abdullah Djinn, the throne room, the treasury, the harem, the stables, the arsenal, the barracks, the mosque, the prison... The Madrasa Mohamed Amin Khan, with its facades colored with blue mosaics, is one of the largest in Central Asia and hosted 260 students. It was a sinister Soviet prison, today a luxury hotel. The Madrasa Muhamad Rakhim Khan houses the craft center under its portal. The Kalta Minor or short minaret, superbly decorated with jade green majolica, was supposed to be the tallest in the Muslim world, but the death of Amin Khan, beheaded during a battle, left it unfinished. The Djouma Mosque or Friday mosque has a sumptuous interior: a forest of columns from the 10th to the 12th century from all origins, the most beautiful coming from India. One can guess human representations, Zoroastrian symbols, Buddhas, all erased... Transfer to Urgench airport and flight to Tashkent. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Night at the hotel.

• day 11

  Tashkent.

  Breakfast. Free time. Transfer to the airport at 10:00 am to take the return flight to Paris, flight HY251 at 12:30 pm.