Uzbekistan Uncovered

Those on the group flights arrive this morning in Tashkent and transfer to

the hotel for a rest. 



In the afternoon we will start our sightseeing of this Central Asian capital.

This will include visiting Independence Square flanked by public buildings

and water fountains and also the Old City with its mausoleums and bazaar.

Tashkent was largely destroyed by earthquakes in the 60's and was rebuilt in

true Soviet style with pleasant leafy boulevards and lots of fountains to

keep the heat down in summer. There are some very interesting museums as well

as mosques.

In the early morning we fly to Urgench, our base for our visit to Khiva and

the Desert sites. On arrival, we transfer to Khiva and visit the living

museum of the perfectly restored old city. We will see the khan's old

residence, the Kunya-Ark 12th century fortress, the tiled base of the never

completed Kalta Minar, (which was originally planned to be taller than any

minaret in Bukhara) and the beautiful mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud (Khiva's

patron saint) with its tiled courtyard. Many wedding parties and pilgrims

come to visit the tomb and drink the water from the well in the courtyard.



*Please Note:* On occasion, it may not be possible to secure seats for the

group on the flight to Urgench. In this instance, we will buy flights to

Nukus instead, and the activities on days 2 and 3 (land only) will be

reversed.

After breakfast, we head off to the arid plains of Khorezm. These plains were

once densely populated marshland, inhabited by Messagetae Scythians. These

horseback archers were nomadic and fought to retain the land, even defeating

Cyrus The Great, a Persian emperor in BC 529. We visit the 2000-year-old

ruined city fortress of Toprak- Qala, dramatically located with the Sultan

Vais Mountains acting as a backdrop. The settlement began in the first

century BC under Kushan patronage and was later devastated by Turkish raids

that led to the depopulation of the town in the sixth century. There are

still three large round towers and an impressive portion of the citadel that

still remain, but the parchments and paintings that were found there are now

in St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. We also visit Qizil-Qala, formerly an

important oasis with an impressive amount of remaining buildings and finally

Ayaz-Qala, an imposing hilltop fortress dating from the Sixth century. We

later return to Khiva to spend the night.

A long day's drive on bad roads to Bukhara (approx 10/11 hours); first we

cross the fabled Amu-Darya (Oxus) River and then the Kizilkum Desert. If time

allows we may have the chance to make a first visit to old Bukhara and have a

cup of green tea at the fascinating chai-khana (tea-house) at 'Laby Khauz'

(one of the water-filled stone pools).We will break up the journey today with

stops en route.

We have two days sightseeing in Bukhara, the next of our great Central Asian

cities. Bukhara boasts over 900 historical monuments, here we will spend time

visiting many sites and wandering at leisure amongst the old city streets.

Unlike Samarkand, the district of the old town has remained separate from the

rest of Bukhara and has undergone lots of restoration and preservation in

recent years. In addition to its importance as a trading centre, it is the

perfect setting to just sit and watch the world go by much as it has done for

hundreds of years. Of particular interest is the Fortress Ark where, in the

19th century, the Emir of Bukhara had the English officers Stoddart and

Connolly imprisoned and killed and the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, a

beautiful example of early Islamic architecture dating back to the 10th

century. We will also visit the Emir's rather kitsch Summer Palace, the old

town with its domed bazaars and khauz (stone pools which used to be the

city's only water supply), and the attractive 12th century Char Minar. One of

the great landmarks of Bukhara is the Kalyan minaret, known as the death

tower, where many an unfaithful wife has met a sticky end.

From Bukhara we transfer to Gijduvan, which is renowned for its ceramics

school. The skills have been passed from generation to generation and today

Gijduvan is home to the sixth generation of potters from Narzullayevs family.

There will be a chance to visit the Museum of Ceramics and perhaps you might

like to pick a souvenir at the potter’s shop. We'll be treated to some tea

and Uzbek sweets here too!



Next, we drive to Rabat-i-Malik (a few kilometres before Navoi city) -

mediaeval ruins of the Karakhanid epoch, where we make a short stop. This

site was a portal of the caravanserai but sadly much of the rest of the rabat

was destroyed in the 1968 earthquake. We'll stop for lunch in Navoi and

then drive to our Kazakh yurts. These are traditional round felt tents,

which are spacious, colourful and comfortable inside. The Kazakh nomads still

use them today. Our camp offers a glimpse into what life was like on the Silk

Road in times gone by and with a bit of luck we will watch a wonderful

sunset, and then sit around the fire listening to a local musician (akyn).

Today we walk and there is also the chance to ride camels for a short time

towards Aidarkul Lake. The lake stretches through the desert within sight of

the Nuratin Mountains and once there we are free to explore the shoreline or

swim. 



Later, we transfer to Nurata, formerly known as Nur and founded in the 3rd

Century BC by Alexander the Great. This ancient town was once regarded as the

frontier between the cultivated lands and the steppes, and the ruins of

Alexander's hilltop citadel stand testament to its ancient history. The city

was also an important Muslim place of pilgrimage, reaching its peak in the

10th Century AD as devotees flocked to its many significant graves and

memorials. We stop at a 10th-century mosque and holy sites that have

attracted pilgrims from all over Central Asia. After a traditional lunch at a

teahouse we will drive to Samarkand.



Please note that it is not possible for the whole group to ride camels at the

same time due to camel numbers.

Samarkand is truly a jewel of the ancient and modern Silk Road. We have a

busy full day taking in all the sights. There is the exquisite jade mausoleum

of Gur-i-Emir, the resting place of Tamerlane, who is now being rapidly

reinstated by the Uzbek government as a national hero. Perhaps the greatest

treasure is Registan Square, Tamerlane's outstanding creation, a vast complex

of domes and minarets, mosques and medrassas. We will also visit the equally

beautiful necropolis of Shah-i-Zinda and the old observatory of Uleg Beg, the

greatest Muslim astronomer. Samarkand is still a major centre for textiles,

carpets and works of art and is the perfect city to try out bargaining skills

and explore the ancient site of the bazaar.

This morning is left free for us to enjoy just a little more time in

Samarkand. Perhaps a visit to the local bazaar where you can sample delicious

fresh produce, or you might like to return to the many stalls nestled in the

Registan Ensemble to find that perfect souvenir. Our adventure in Uzbekistan

is almost complete as we leave Samarkand and take a high-speed train back to

Tashkent in the late afternoon (please note that the train cannot be 100%

guaranteed as occasionally it is booked out by government officials or is

unavailable, in which case we will drive instead). Tonight we have a farewell

dinner to mark the end of our travels together and reflect on all we have

seen.

Those on the group flights will be taken to the airport for their flight. For land only passengers, the trip ends after breakfast.