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DAY 1: ARRIVE TASHKENT "Khush Kelibsizlar" means welcome to Uzbekistan. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel for overnight. Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan. Although the ancient monuments of other Uzbek cities are far more famous, Tashkent exhibits a wide array of architectural styles - Persian, Russian, and Islamic. Though people have been living here, where the western tip of the Tien Shan pans out into the Kizyl-Kum desert, for more than two thousand years - there is not much evidence of this history. An earthquake in 1966 razed nearly half the city; a plethora of typical Soviet modern architecture was built to replace the earlier, more atmospheric buildings. The city has a fine museum of Antiques and Jewelry, housed in the palace of Grand Prince Nikolai. With a present population of some 2.3 million, this city has long been a crossroads for numerous Asian and European travelers, and is the fourth largest city in the former Soviet Union. DAY 2: TASHKENT - URGENTCH: EXCURSION TO KHIVA Today's tour of the Uzbek capital includes Barak Khan Seminary, Kukeldash and Abul Khassim Medressas, Uzbek Museum of Applied Arts and the many gardens and fountains. In the afternoon transfer for the short flight to Urgentch where we depart for Khiva. Venture into a veritable time-capsule. Khiva's mud streets and inward-looking squares are so well-preserved they sometimes feel like a film set. The object of some of the most intrepid overland expeditions of the 18th and 19th centuries, Khiva was then the most remote and is now the most complete of the old Silk Route's oasis cities. The Friday mosque is the strangest and most alluring in Uzbekistan. Also, visit the Ichon-Qala gates, Muhammad Amin and Rakhim Khan's Medressas, Tosh-Khovli Palace, Islom-Huja Medressa and Minaret. We meet local folks still living within the walled. Khiva prospered, like her predecessors, as the last great oasis on the northern caravan route to Russia. Return to Urgentch for overnight. (B) DAY 3: URGENTCH - BUKHARA We experience a whole different landscape as we drive through the Kyzylkum Desert for Bukhara, one of the best places in Central Asia for a glimpse of pre-Russian Turkestan. Bukhara, with a history of over 2,500 years, still possesses much of its pre-Russian historical charm. The city was once the center of a powerful Islamic empire, second only to Mecca. The great library of Bukhara once held over 45,000 manuscripts, and was a major draw for doctors, astronomers, mathematicians and geographers in the region. Spend two nights at your hotel. (B) DAY 4: BUKHARA Enjoy a full day tour of this historic city. Visit the tomb of Ishmael Samani, the founder of the Samanid Dynasty, who was responsible for the construction of the exquisite Bolo-Khauz Mosque. This tomb dates back more than a millennium, and was a center for the Emirs of Bukhara. Later continue your tour with a visit to the Ark of Citadel. See the multi-shaped domes of Chashma-Ayub, the site of miracles, and the winter residence of the Emir. Also, visit the Djuma Mosque, a stunning destination, situated near the town's highest point. From here, you can see the city's panorama, dominated by a plethora of mosques. Most of the town's center is held as an architectural preserve as the government continues restoration of former medrassas and fortresses. The old center has changed little in the past two centuries and offers visitors a glimpse of what daily life might have looked like then. (B) DAY 5: BUKHARA - SHAKHRISABZ - SAMARKAND This morning we depart for Shakhrisabz to tour the birthplace of Tamerlane including the Ak-Saray Palace, Kok-Gumbaz Mosque, the House of Meditation, Crypt of Timur - the man who made such an impact on Central Asia. Continue on to Samarkand and transfer to your hotel for three-nights. (B) DAY 6: SAMARKAND "Rome of the Orient" - a city which was flourishing when Rome and Babylon were founded. Samarkand full day tour offers the world famous Registan Square, Bibi Khanum Mosque, Mausoleum of Tamerlane, observatory of Ulughbek, Shahi- Zinda necropolis and a stroll through the old town where we meet Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russians, Georgians and other Central Asian nationalities living side by side. (B) DAY 7: SAMARKAND OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO PENJIKENT Day at leisure, or choose an optional excursion to Penjikent in Tajikistan. Visit the ancient city at Bunjikath and the Rudaki Museum, which contains reproductions of frescoes found in Bunjikath. One column located behind some other columns in the largest room, depicts a Sogdian mourning by tearing his hair out and cutting his face. The museum also contains sections of ceramic pipe, which brought water to Bunjikath from the mountains. Return to Samarkand for overnight. (B) DAY 8: SAMARKAND - FERGHANA Cross the delightful Kamchik Pass to the green Ferghana Valley visiting Kokand en route. Here we visit the museum-fort of the last Ruler, Khodayor Khan that houses an interesting collection from the Khanate days. Later continue to Ferghana for a two-night stay. The town of Ferghana is a miniature Tashkent; young, Russian-built, industrialized on its fringes Today's tour includes the Museum of Local Studies, the Khanatlas Silk factory - known for their Central Asian motifs, the Edgorliq Jewelry Workshop, where you can see beautiful handmade ornaments and embroideries, the central mosque. (B) DAY 9: FERGHANA EXCURSION TO MARGILAN & ANDIJAN Today's full day tour includes the Edgorliq Khanatlas Silk factory at Margilan, where you can see beautiful hand made ornaments and embroideries. We also visit the central mosque & bazaar. Later tour Andijan, birthplace of Babur the founder of the famed Moghul Dynasty that ruled India and commissioned dozens of lasting works including the Taj Mahal, Shalimar Gardens and the many forts and palaces known today for their "Moghul Architecture." We also visit the Babur Literary Museum. (B) DAY 10: FERGHANA - TASHKENT Depart today by road for the return journey to Tashkent. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel for overnight. (B) DAY 11: DEPART TASHKENT Today is at leisure until the transfer to your international departure. (B) |