Travel to Uzbekistan, the legacy of Tamerlane

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Your airport – Flight Istanbul → Tashkent

  

  Meeting of participants at Istanbul airport. Assistance with check-in and security formalities. Boarding, then flight to Tashkent.

• day 2

  Tashkent – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Arrival at the airport then transfer to the hotel. Breakfast. Departure for the visit of the Uzbek capital. This city is rich in parks and fountains. Over 2000 years old, it was once a major commercial center at the crossroads of caravan routes linking Europe and India; today it remains a major cultural center. Visit of the Koukeldach madrasa, located south of the Chorsu bazaar, and the "Friendship of Peoples" square. Built at the beginning of the 19th century, this madrasa was one of the most renowned Quranic universities in Tashkent. Students studied the Quran there, but also mathematics, astronomy, Persian and Arabic literature, as well as Barakhan, the mausoleum of Kaffal Chachi and the Abdul Kasim madrasa. Today, this madrasa houses shops and artisan workshops: wood engravers, ceramists, miniature painters on boxes. You can also find embroidered fabrics and jewelry there. Continuation of the city tour towards Independence Square, then Theater Square, Amir Temour square. Then visit to the Museum of Applied Arts. Dinner at the restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Tashkent → Urgench → Khiva (flight 1h20) – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast In the morning, around 05:00, transfer to Tashkent domestic airport and flight to Urgench at 07:00-08:40. Assistance with check-in and boarding formalities. Arrival at Urgench airport around 08:40 and transfer to Khiva. Day dedicated to visiting Khiva. Almost in the center of Itchan-Kala, a long blind wall flanked by a minaret actually serves as the facade of the Djouma Mosque (Friday Mosque), the main mosque of Khiva. The old fortress of Kounya Ark ("The Old Fortress" from the 17th century), then the Mukhammad Rakhimkhon Feruz madrasa, the largest in Khiva, and the mausoleum of Sayid Alaouddine. In the afternoon, discovery of the city considered the masterpiece of Uzbek art: the Djouma Mosque, the most famous monument of Khiva, the mausoleum of Pakhlavan-Makhmoud, as well as the Islam Khodja madrasa and minaret. The tallest minaret in Khiva (44.50 m) was built in 1910 by the vizier of Isfandiar Khan, Islam Khodja. The palace of Tachkhaouli Khan and the covered bazaar of the city of Khiva. Dinner and folk concert in the courtyard of the madrasa in Khiva. Accommodation.

• day 4

  Khiva → Bukhara (480 km – 7h drive) – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast. Early departure by road to BOUKHARA via the Kizil Kum desert. While skirting the banks of the Amu Darya, which winds through the Kizil Kum desert, you will be able to see some ruins of ancient caravanserais (inns used by caravans crossing the desert for the trade of silk, spices, and slaves). Road to Bukhara, the second "museum city" of Uzbekistan, which was the regional capital from the end of the 16th century until 1917. Arrival in BOUKHARA at the end of the afternoon. Check-in and dinner at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Bukhara – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast. Visit of the "Museum City", which had no less than 360 mosques before the Revolution. A true oasis in the middle of the red desert of Kyzyl Kum, the city has managed to keep an oriental spirit. Once called "The Pearl of Islam", BUKHARA is one of the most captivating stops of your journey. BUKHARA is a concentration of all the architecture of Central Asia. Visit of the Nodir Devonbegi Medersa (1622-1623), initially designed as a caravanserai. The medersa is part of one of the most original architectural ensembles in Bukhara: the Liabi-Khauz ("Edge of the Basin"). The Tchar Minar medersa, with its four minarets and turquoise domes. The Maghoki Attari Mosque (XII-XVI), with two floors, was built on the remains of the foundations of the old medieval construction; its façade is sunk into the ground by nearly 4.5 m, hence its name Maghok – underground. The Gaokouchon ensemble: the Khodja Medersa and Mosque with its minaret represent architectural styles unique to Bukhara. The medersa and the mosque are built side by side and their main façades face a small square with the pond. Another "classic" style of Bukhara is the "koch" (the twins), the ensemble of two medersas facing each other. Such are the Ulugbek Medersa, built in 1417, and the Medersa of Khan Abdelaziz. Continuation of the city tour: Kalian Complex, or the "Foot of the Great". You will admire the Palace of Forty Columns and the Well of Job. Discovery of the Ark citadel, which was the fortified residence of the Emir and his harem until 1920. It included palaces, barracks, the Mint, and the prison. Located on Reghistan Square, this is where corporal punishments took place, including the famous ordeal of 72 strokes of the stick. Opposite, visit of the Bolo-Khaouz mosque, whose trees surrounding the pond and the minaret make it a very pleasant haven of shade. Marble steps descend towards the dark but refreshing waters of the pond built in the 16th century, which gave its name to the mosque (khaouz). Dinner and folk concert in the courtyard of the Nodir Divan Begui Medresa. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  Boukhara → Nurata → Yangi-Gazgan (285 km) – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast. Departure for NURATA. Visit on the way to the elegant 12th-century minaret of Vobkent, the mausoleum of Abdoulkholik Gijdouvoni, and the 15th-century Oulougbek madrasah in Gidjouvan. Visit to a ceramist's workshop in Gijdouvan. The Gidjouvan ceramists' workshop is renowned throughout Uzbekistan and protected by UNESCO. This dynasty of artisan ceramists works according to a unique ancestral technology. Upon your arrival, visit of the old town: fortress, natural spring with its sacred fish. Lunch with a local family in Nurata and departure towards the Kazakh yurt. Arrival and camel ride. Unforgettable evening in the middle of the steppe. Dinner under the yurt and Kazakh concert. Night under the yurt, beneath the starry sky of the desert.

• day 7

  Yangi-Gazgan → Aidarkul → Sentob → Asraf (125 km) – Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

  

  

  Breakfast Departure for Lake Aidarkul Walk along the shore of Lake Aidarkul Possibility to swim Then, drive to the village of Asraf Visit of the village, walk and meeting with the inhabitants Dinner and overnight stay with a local

• day 8

  Asraf → Uhum → return to Asraf – Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

  

  Breakfast, then departure on foot towards the village of Uhum. You will enjoy superb panoramas of the village, the petroglyphs of the old mosque, the ruins of houses perched on the hill, and the rock engravings of the surrounding mountains. The walk continues to the caves offering a magnificent viewpoint, before descending along a path towards the lake. You will visit an ancient site with inscriptions in Arabic script, then set off on a hike to a small waterfall, with the possibility to cool off in one of the natural pools. The valley is perfect for birdwatching and is home to a very diverse flora. The day will end with a visit to the ruins of Khisor Kala and the stone mill, still operating thanks to the mountain water. Dinner and overnight stay with a local family, for an authentic moment in the company of an Uzbek family.

• day 9

  Asraf → Samarkand (185 km – approx. 2h30 by road) – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast Then, drive to Samarkand, one of the oldest cities in the world. A former stop on the Silk Road, a flagship city of the East at the time when Tamerlane was its master, its name still radiates mystery and dreams. It is no longer "the face of the earth," nor even "the precious pearl of the Islamic world," and yet, when seeing its monuments, its madrasas, its minarets, its mosques (now restored), it seems that both the remains of a prestigious civilization and the expression of an art that has reached its peak are revealed. The current face of the old city of Samarkand is the one given to it in the 14th century by Emperor Tamerlane, who made it the prestigious capital of a vast empire stretching to the Black Sea and Punjab in India, bringing together the most renowned scholars of his time: poets, architects, painters, astronomers… Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Free time before dinner. Dinner at the restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  Samarkand – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast Morning dedicated to visiting the most famous monument of SAMARKAND, which is also the symbol of the city: the Gur-Emir, a deformation of "Gouri-Mir" or "tomb of the Emir." As in other Muslim mausoleums, the slabs simply mark the location of the tombs, which are found in an underground crypt. It is in this mausoleum that Timur, Ulugh Beg, and other members of his family rest. The interior of this mausoleum is sumptuous. Then, visit the Roukhabad and Ak-Sarai mausoleums. Departure for a city tour where you can discover, among other splendors, the Registan ensemble. This group of majestic madrasas, slightly leaning, whose beautifully proportioned spaces are covered, almost to excess, with blue faience and mosaics, is the centerpiece of the city and undoubtedly the most impressive architectural site in Central Asia. It consists of the Ulugh Beg madrasa, the Chir-Dor madrasa, and the Tilla-Kari madrasa. Visit to the Bibi Khanum mosque, which was intended to be the largest in Central Asia. Time has spared only the portal, two small side buildings, and the large central mosque. Stroll through the city's colorful "Siyab" bazaar. Discovery of the necropolis of Shakhi-Zinda. On the edge of Afrasiab, in the heart of a vast cemetery, is the unique ensemble of Shakhi-Zinda mausoleums (or Chah-i-Zindeh). This name refers to Kussam, son of Abbas and cousin of Muhammad, whose martyrdom in these places is said to be the origin of these monuments of worship. Dinner at the restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 11

  Samarcande → Tashkent (Afrosiyob high-speed train) – Breakfast and dinner included

  

  Breakfast Then, continuation of the visit to Uzbek artisanal workshops. You will start with a visit to a silk carpet factory. Here, they make their own silk threads, while most of the dyes are made on site, from natural pigments. The factory receives the cocoons directly from the State and then takes care of the entire transformation to obtain the threads that will be used to weave the carpets. The quality and especially the price of a carpet depend on the knot density per m². Then, visit to a handmade silk paper factory, which has given Samarkand an international reputation since the 8th century! At that time, the Arabs captured many Chinese who were sold as slaves in Samarkand, thus revealing their manufacturing secret. This production of silk paper allowed for a wider dissemination of the Quran. Departure to discover the hill of Afrosyab and its museum, northeast of Samarkand. The archaeological site of Afrosyab covers more than 220 hectares. At least 2,750 years old, Afrosyab is the ancient name of Samarkand. It was destroyed during the invasion led by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. The ruins of the ancient city of Afrosyab, founded at the beginning of the 7th century BC, are preserved as an archaeological reserve [listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.] Visit to the Archaeology Museum, created to display the remains unearthed by excavations carried out by the Russians in 1880, during the discovery of the archaeological site. Then, discovery of the Ulugh Beg Observatory, in the middle of the hills facing Afrosyab. Here stand the remains of an extraordinary astronomical observatory dating from the 15th century, crowning the work of the brilliant king-astronomer. What can be seen today is the underground part of a giant sextant, the largest 90° quadrant ever seen, but of which only 60° were used. The remaining 11 m arc consists of two marble parapets, graduated in degrees and minutes. Transfer to the station to take the high-speed train to Tashkent [17:00/19:10] - A hostess will welcome the group and take care of the service – tea and sandwiches on board. Dinner in the restaurant. Transfer and overnight at the hotel.

• day 12

  Tashkent → Your airport – Breakfast included

  

  Depending on the flight schedule, breakfast will be taken either at the hotel or on the plane. According to the flight schedule, transfer to TASHKENT airport. Assistance with check-in formalities. Boarding and return flight. Service on board. Arrival at your airport.