PROGRAM
FOR 15 Days and 14 Nights
Tashkent-Urgench/Khiva-Bukhara-Nurata/Yurt Camp-Aidarkul Lake/Mountain Village Sentab- Samarkand- Tashkent
DETAILED
PROGRAM
DAY 1 | Off to Central Asia!
Flight to the Uzbek capital Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel. Free time.
DAY 2 | TASHKENT – KOKAND
Tashkent – the city of millions presents itself as modern, spacious and very green. In 1966 an earthquake almost completely destroyed it; Soviet city planners redesigned it with wide boulevards and prefabricated buildings. Our first destination, the Hasrat Imam Complex, was the first mosque in this now largely Muslim Uzbekistan. The complex around the grave of the first Imam in Tashkent was rebuilt in 2007 with Saudi help: The huge brick building with turquoise domes offers space for 2,500 believers. We see the delicately decorated Barak Khan Madrasah and plunge into the hustle and bustle of the Chorsu Bazaar with its abundant offering of figs and nuts, vegetables and spices. In the Museum of Applied Arts we see handicrafts from many regions of the country: ceramics, knives, traditional costumes and gold embroidery.
Flight to Urgench and transfer to the hotel in Khiva
DAY 3 | Oasis city of Khiva.
The Silk Road also ran through Khiva, starting in 300 BC. BC connected the Mediterranean with East Asia and, in addition to silk, spices, incense, porcelain, wood and Rose oil was transported west. According to legend, the caravans rested at a well that one of Noah’s sons had dug. The masterfully restored old town is still completely surrounded by its city walls. We go on an exploration tour between mosques, madrassas and mud houses with numerous ceramic workshops. Why is the famous Kalta Minor minaret with colorful glazed tile decoration so short? A local specialty are the imaginative plant and star ornaments, as we find them on the fortress’s summer mosque. We enjoy the panoramic view from the battlement. In the Juma Mosque of the former palace, we are enchanted by 213 artistically carved columns, some of which are over 1000 years old. One of the most important buildings in Islamic Central Asia is dedicated to a poet: the fantastically decorated Pahlavon Mahmud mausoleum with a turquoise blue dome visible from afar is reminiscent of the 13th century doctor and poet. We are with a family for dinner
guests – and talk about everyday life in this surprisingly open Muslim country
Day 4 | Palaces and madrassas
Khiva – we continue our exploration of Khiva: In the Tash Hauli Palace with its three inner courtyards we admire tile decorations and artistic carvings and hear about the former harem. We continue to the AllaKuli Khan Madrasah, to the caravanserai at the east gate of the city and to the Nurullabay Palace. Completed in 1912, it served as the residence of the last Khan of Khiva. In the afternoon there is free time: the tour guide is happy to give tips!
Day 5 | From Khiva to Bukhara
Today we drive 450 km along the Amu Darya, the Oxus and through the Kisil-Kum desert to Bukhara. While driving you can enjoy one of the largest desert landscapes Be enchanted by Central Asia. We will make enough photo stops.
DAY 6 | Bukhara, the noble one
Bukhara – in the 2,500-year-old oasis city we feel all the fascination of the Orient: mosques with shining domes, Koran schools, caravanserais. The intact old town resembles an open-air stage that takes us into the adventures of the Arabian Nights. But instead of Aladdin and Sinbad, we meet young men in baseball caps in the alleys… We visit the Samanid Mausoleum, probably the oldest magnificent tomb in the Islamic-Oriental world. The ruler Ismail Ibn Ahmad probably rests under the masterful dome from the 9th century. The Chashmai Ayyub mausoleum was built where the prophet Job is said to have carved a spring out of the rock. Continue to Ark Fortress high on the mountain, to the small Bola Xaus Mosque and to. The LabiXaus complex is grouped around a large water basin. A special attraction are the domed bazaars, where there is a lot of hustle and bustle: under the craftsman’s vaults you can hear the hammer blows of the shoemakers and scissors makers, the shops of jewelers, perfume, fabric and hat sellers are overflowing with goods.
DAY 7 | To the Sufi shrine
Bukhara – the Sitorai-Mochi-Chosa Palace was the summer palace of the last emir from the 19th century. Particularly magnificent: the White Hall with stucco work and mirrored glass. Drive to the gravesite of BachauddinNakschbandi, founder of an influential Sufi brotherhood. At this important pilgrimage site we hear about the “Way of the Teachers”, its religious principles and the dervishes who spread the teachings. The FayzullaKhodjaev House Museum provides information about trade in the 19th century. The afternoon is free – for strolling through the bazaars or for a chai in one of the many chaichanas (tea houses). We stop at a restaurant for dinner.
DAY 8 | Bukhara - Nurata/yurt camp
The Royal Road, the ancient route to Samarkand, begins on the western outskirts of the city. During the heyday of the Silk Road, trade caravans traveled here and reached Samarkand in a 6-7 hour ride. About halfway, in the middle of the desert, there is a monumental gate that seems to lead nowhere. It is the last remnant of a Rabat-i-Malik caravanserai and the old Silk Road ran right through it. Our route leads to Nurata. After lunch in a private house, visit the fortress from the 4/3 century BC, a mosque from the 11 century and the Tschashma spring. Continue to the yurt camp. After dinner, enjoy typical Kazakh songs by local folk singers around the campfire.
DAY 9 | Yurt camp - Aidarkul Lake - mountain village of Sentab
After breakfast drive to Aidarkul Lake. We take a walk along the lake. Continue to the mountain village of Sentab. Arrival and accommodation with a local family.
DAY 10 | Mountain village Sentab
Hike We set off early to avoid the heat on our hike. The path runs (2-3 hours, easy) through a wide valley, past isolated houses, ruins and a mosque near an old fortress. On weekdays we often pass children on their way to school or farmers with their fully loaded donkeys.
DAY 11 | Mountain village Sentab-Samarkand
After breakfast we drive to Samarkand (approx. 220 km). Arrival in Samarkand and free time.
DAY 12 | Proud Samarkand
Samarkand – even under the ancient Persians this was one of the most important trading centers on the Silk Road. Devastated by Genghis Khan in the 12th century, Amir Timur made the caravan oasis the capital of his vast Asian empire two centuries later. The historic buildings are beautifully lined up through the city, which was shaped by the Soviet era. The conqueror Amir Timur had the Gur Amir Mausoleum built during his lifetime. The huge melon dome shines in dark blue and turquoise. Something strange is said to have happened here when Stalin had the grave opened. Our tour guide reports about it. The Registan Square opens up in the center, for many the most beautiful in the Islamic world. The three madrassas date back to the university from the 15th century. In the Bibi-HanimMosque we hear the legend of Timur’s beautiful wife. The ruler, who was jealous of the architect, is said to have completed it with such megalomania that it collapsed.
DAY 13 | The circle closes
Samarkand – the excavations of ancient Marakanda and the Afrosiab Museum take us back to the origins of Samarkand. The grave of the prophet Daniel is said to be in the ChodjaDoniyor mausoleum. And what does the “holy hand” mean? Just outside the city is the astonishingly modern Ulugh Beg observatory: long before the invention of the telescope, the astronomer followed what was happening in the sky with the naked eye, designed a star atlas and measured the position of the Earth’s axis. Right next to the bustling bazaar we visit the ShahiZinda necropolis, which dates back to Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed.
DAY 14 | The circle closes
Before we travel to Tashkent, we visit the paper factory workshop in the village of Koni-Ghil. Arrival in Tashkent and dinner at the local restaurant.
DAY 15 | Return
Tashkent – early morning drive to the airport and flight back to ……..
Never Ending Journey
Our Moments
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