DAY

1

TASHKENT

Arrival to Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel, hotel accommodation.

Sightseeing tour:
Amir Temur (Tamerlan) Square - The square represents a small park in the center of the city.
Independence Square - On the largest square of the Republic of Uzbekistan sit the administrative headquarters of the Cabinet of Ministers and Senate.
Monument of Courage - The monument, built in memory of the terrible earthquake, which was destroyed by almost half of Tashkent on April 26, 1966 at 05:24 in the morning.
Visit old part of city:
Architectural complex Hazreti-Imam  is a symbolic place not only for Tashkent but also for the world’s culture. It contains the most famous Koran in the world - the Ottoman Koran. It was the Ottoman Koran that all subsequent copies of the Holy Book of Muslims were made from.
Madrasah Kukeldash - The builder of the Madrasah was a vezir of the Tashkent khans (1551-1575), called Kukeldash ("the foster-brother of the khan").
Overnight in Tashkent.

DAY

2

Tashkent - Nukus

After early breakfast transfer to the airport for morning flight to Nukus. Arrival, transfer and hotel accommodation.
Visit the Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art named after I.V. Savitsky – “Museum in the desert”.
Free time.
Overnight in Nukus.

DAY

3

Nukus – Aral sea

Nukus - Kungrad - Usturt Plateau - Sudochie lake - Aral sea (450 km – 8 hrs)
Departure from Nukus at 8 o’clock in the morning, to discover the Usturt Plateau and Aral sea life. Pass via Kungrad district – which used to be one of the trading centers on the Silk Road.

Continue to the Usturt Plateau. Stop at the Lake Sudochie, have picnic lunch. Visit the fishermen’s house. Old fish factory Urga. On the way visit the former Light House, see the settlement of the gas plant.

Visit airport on Usturt Plateau. Stop to take pictures of beautiful  Canyons. Arrive to the Aral Sea. Have a walk (1 hour) from the camping ground to the nearby  Kurgancha-Kala – an old caravan sarai hidden in the hills of the Usturt. Set up the tent. Dinner.

Overnight in the tent.

DAY

4

Aral sea – Nukus

Aral sea - Moynak - Mizdakhan XIVc. - Gaur kala - Nukus (400 km – 7 hrs)
Early wake up to take pictures of sun rise. Have breakfast. Transfer to Moynak village, which is known as "cemetery of ships” nowadays. Passing by gas towers, arrive to Uchsai – Gas Plant.

Lunch at the Guest house in Moinak. Visit the Ships’ Graveyard, local museum, watch the short video about Moinak life at the museum. Drive to Khodjeli city to visit  Mizdak-khan architectural complex of the XIV c. and  Gaur kala ruin that was destroyed by Shingiz-khan. Arrival in Nukus around 5 p.m.  Overnight in Nukus.

DAY

5

Nukus - Ayaz-kala – Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel.

Drive to Khiva via Toprak-kala and Ayaz-kala. On the way visit Chilpik-kala –  «tower of silence», supposedly ritual constructions of pre-Islamic culture

Arrival to Toprak-kala -ancient settlement which was the capital of Khorezm in the III century AD.

Then we’ll visit one of the largest fortresses of Ancient Khorezm – Ayaz-kala, II century AD, relevant to the period of Kushan Empire prosperity.

Lunch at the yurt camp.

Continue driving to Khiva.

Arrival and hotel accommodation.

Overnight in Khiva.

DAY

6

Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel.
Sightseeing tour in Ichan-Qala (a UNESCO World Heritage site):
Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrassah(1845-1855) - The biggest medieval madrasah in Khiva, is located opposite to Kunya-Ark at the gates of Ata-darvaza. The Madrasah has 125 hudjras and could receive up to 260 pupils.

Kunya-Ark fortress - Kunya-Ark ("Old fortress") is the inner citadel of Ichan-Qala. It was founded in the 17th century by Muhammad-Erenk Khan (1687-1688). Kunya-Ark had formed a "city inside a city" separated by a high wall, by the end of the 18^th century.
Mausoleum of Makhmud Pakhlavan - is the religious center of Ichan-Qala. It formed around the tomb of Khiva's patron Pahlavan-Makhmud (1247-1326). He was a poet, philosopher and wrestler.
Friday Mosque and Minaret - The cathedral mosque of Khiva, otherwise known as Djuma-Mosque, is located in Ichan-Qala on the road leading from the gates of Palvan-darva-za to Ata-darvaza. It is a typically archaic mosque with a flat ceiling on columns which has no analogue in Central Asia.
Ak-Mosque ("White Mosque") was built at Anush-khan (1663-1687) in the middle of the 17^th century.This is a small quarter mosque next to the gates of Palvan-darvaza. The winter building with prayer hall has a white conical dome.
Overnight in Khiva.

DAY

7

Khiva - Bukhara

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Bukhara via Kyzyl-Kum desert (480 km. 6-7 hrs.) On the way stop to see  Amu-Darya river. Arrival to  Bukhara and hotel accommodation. Free time.

Overnight in Bukhara.

DAY

8

Bukhara

Breakfast at the hotel.
Sightseeing tour:
Samanids Mausoleum - This mausoleum, one of the most esteemed sights of Central Asian architecture, was built in the (9^th (10^th) century).
Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum (Saint Job’s Source) - Chashma-i Ayub Mausoleum, which features a Harezm-style conical dome, which is uncommon in Bukhara, appeared in the 12th century beside the spring that is associated with the biblical Prophet Job.
Ark citadel (residence of Bukhara khans) - Ark-Citadel is a residence of Bukhara khans. On one of the walls of the Citadel there was once a large leather lash (kamcha) - a symbol of power in the Bukhara Emirate.

Lyabi Khauz ensemble - Architectual ensemble Lyabi-Khauz is formed with three large monumental buildings: Kukeldash Madrasah in the north, Khanaka and Nodir Divan-begi in the west and in the east. The center of old Bukhara ensemble became a reservoir.)
Poi-Kalyan Ensemble (Madrasah and Minaret) - It is the main ensemble in Bukhara center, situated on the way to trade crossing of "four bazars" and Poi-Kalyan means “the pedestal of the Great”.
Trading domes.
Overnight in Bukhara.

DAY

9

Bukhara

Breakfast at the hotel.
Sightseeing tour:
Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace - The residence of the Emir of Bukhara was built in 1912-1918.
Chor-Bakr Necropolis (10^th century) - Ancient graves of Juibar sheikhs.  The Chor-Bakr Necropolis, also called the city of the dead.
Memorial complex of Bahouddin Naqshbandi - The complex of the great theologian of the XIV century, the founder of the Sufi order "Naqshbandiya" - Bahouddina Naqshbandi.

Free time.

Overnight in Bukhara.

DAY

10

Bukhara – Nurata

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Nurata (250 km). Arrival at a yurt camp. You’ll have a free time for camel ridding and walking to Aydarkul lake after lunch.
You will enjoy a beautiful night sky full of stars near the campfire while Akin sings folk songs.
Overnight in the desert.

DAY

11

Nurata – Samarkand

Breakfast at the yurt camp.
Transfer to Samarkand (250 km). On the way you can see unique petroglyphs.  
Arrival and hotel accommodation. Free time.
Overnight in Samarkand.

DAY

12

Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel.
Sightseeing tour:
Gur-Emir Mausoleum (tomb of Amir Temur) -
This architectural complex with its azure dome is translated Gur-Emir in Persian "Tomb of the King." The earliest part of the complex was built at the end of the 14 ^th century by the orders of Muhammad Sultan.

The main square – Registan -  consisting Ulugbeg, Sher-Dor and Tillya-Kari madrasahs and means "a sandy place". Registan became a main square of Samarkand in the 14^th century.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque – For the cathedral mosque was build one of the greatest portals of that era. Its arch was flanked with powerful pylons, with minarets up to 50m in height.
Siab bazaar – centre of oriental sweets.

Observatory of Ulugbeg - The largest observatory in Central Asia was built in the 1420's by Ulugbeg. Here, for three decades, scholars, outstanding astronomers performed measurements of celestial movements.
Overnight in Samarkand.

DAY

13

Tashkent Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel.
Drive to the village near Samarkand has the  “Meros” paper mill. You will see all process of making the silk paper.

Visit Shakhi Zinda necropolis - unique architectural monuments. The genesis of the Shahi-Zinda necropolis on the slope of Afrasiab hill is connected with Kusam ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. We know that he took part in the first Arab campaigns to Maverannahr. According to legend, Kusam was mortally wounded on the walls of Samarkand and escaped underground, where he continues to live, hence the name of the necropolis, Shahi-Zinda - "living king".

Mausoleum of St. Daniel - On the shore of Siab, a small tributary of Zerafshan River, there is a sacred place, which keeps the relics of Daniel, the Old Testament Biblical Prophet. Another version says that there are the relics of Daniyol (or Danier), an associate of the Arab preacher Kussama ibn Abbas. But all versions agree that Danier is the Saint and pilgrims from all the three world religions come here to worship him.
Overnight in Samarkand.

DAY

14

Samarkand - Shakhrisabz

After breakfast drive to Shakhrisabz (by car - 90 km/ 2hrs, by bus – 140 km/3hrs).
Sightseeing tour:
Dor-ut-Tilovat complex:
Kok-Gumbaz Mosque (XV c.) is the main monument of Dor–ut–tilavat complex.
Shaikh Shamsiddin Kulol Mausoleum (XIV c.)

Gumbazi-Saidon Mausoleum (XV c.) was built in 1437 by the order of the famous Mirzo Ulugbek (1394 - 1449), the grandson of Tamerlane.

Khazrati-lmom Mosque
Dor-us-Saodat complex arose after the death of the eldest son of Amir Temur, Jahangir (1376).

Ok-Saroy (XIV-XV cc.). Outstanding monument of the epoch of Tamerlane and Temurids.  Oksaroy was built on the orders of Tamerlane.

Overnight in Shakhrisabz.

DAY

15

Shakhrisabz – Terme

After breakfast drive to Termez (300 km/ 5hrs). Arrival and hotel accommodation.

Sightseeing tour in Termez :
Mausoleum Kokildor-Ota Khanaka  is distinguished by its architecture and unusual planning. This is the portal-domed construction, with many chambers and brick wall on the front.

Kirk-kiz Palace - a summer residence of Samani rulers.

Sulton-Saodat cult-memorial complex. It was created during the period of XI-XVII c. at the graves of the Termez sayyids. It had a number of cult structures added at different times: mausoleums, mosques and hanagoh, built on the perimeter of an elongated courtyard with a combination of integral and short compositions.
Overnight in Termez.

DAY

16

Termez - Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel.
Sightseeing tour:
Jarkurgan Minaret - The uniqueness of the minaret lies in its membership in the vertical herringbone decorative corrugations, as in the tower mausoleums of India and Horace

 From the former two-tier minaret only the lower tier has been preserved.

Kampir tepe – a citadel of Alexander the Great -  Kampyr-Tepe is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the territory of Uzbekistan. It is ruins of the port city located on the Amu Darya River (Oxus in ancient times), founded at the end of the IV century BC and existed until the beginning of the first century BC.

Al Hakim At-Termizi Mausoleum - is the main holy place of Termez,, also known as Muhammad ibn `Isa at-Tirmidhi. This architectural monument was built to the north-west of the old Termez castle.
Transfer to the airport for evening flight to Tashkent.

Arrival and hotel accommodation.
Overnight in Tashkent.

DAY

17

Tashkent – Fergana Valley

Early breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to railway station, departure to Kokand by train, arrival and hotel accommodation.

Sightseeing tour in Kokand:
Khudoyar-Khan Palace - Pearl of Kokand is the palace of the last ruler of Kokand Khanate's Khudoyar Khan. The magnificent palace complex, built in 1871, is a staggering grandeur.

Kamol-Kazy Madrassah - One of the Kokand attractions, built in 1830-1832, in classical traditions of Kokand architecture.

Jami Mosque.
Driving to Fergana city (80 km). On the way visit ceramics workshops in Rishtan.

Check in to the hotel.

Overnight in Fergana.

DAY

18

Fergana Valley - Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel.
Drive to Margilan visit Yodgorlik Silk factory where you can see the production process of silk with traditional Ikat patterns.
Drive to Tashkent through the mountain pass Kamchik by cars (355 km/ 5-6 hrs). 
Arrival and hotel accommodation.
Overnight in Tashkent.

DAY

19

Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sightseeing tour:
Museum of Applied Art - History of Museum of Applied Art of Uzbekistan dates back to 1927, when the first exhibition of artworks by artists of Uzbekistan was held here.

Chorsu bazaar - traditional Uzbek bazaar, where you can find a lot of souvenirs, national clothes and fruits.  
Overnight in Tashkent.

DAY

20

Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport.