Beauty of Modern and Historical Uzbekistan

In the 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.

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 Kavat-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 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 Bokhara 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 third 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.

After having a good rest breakfast at yurts. After transfer to Aidarkul lake. 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. Departure to Samarkand.

One of the highlights of today’s tour will certainly be the Registan Square, Samarkand’s most famous landmark. Registan (Sandy Place) probably got its name from the sand that was strewn on the ground to soak up blood from public execution held there until the early 20^th century. Nowadays, the complex consists of three main buildings – the 15^th-century Ulugbek Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and the 17^th-century Sher-Dor Madrasah, where you can get acquainted with the history of Uzbek musical instruments. Your guide will also show you the Bibi Khanym Mosque constructed in the 14^th century after Timur’s conquest of India. It is said that some 90 elephants were used to carry the precious stones and metals from India used to decorate this temple. There is a large marble Koran standing in the center of the mosque’s courtyard and the bazaar next to it has changed little since the time of Tamerlane.

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 drive back to the capital for our final night. Tonight we have a farewell dinner to mark the end of our travels together, and reflect on all we have seen.