Depart the USA on overnight flight.
In flight; arrival in Europe and transfer to flight to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
You will arrive early morning at Ashgabat airport, we will meet and transfer you to your hotel. After some sleep and breakfast we will start our tour to explore this exiting and ever changing city. We will see the Arch of Neutrality (erected in 1998 to celebrate Turkmenistan's endorsement of a policy of political neutrality; the top of the structure, can be reached by glass elevator and has a great view of the city); Independence Square, surrounded with extravagant palaces and ministry buildings, and the National Museum with its fine collection of historic artifacts and relics as well as some fabulous textiles and national treasures.
Today we will start our day with Carpet Museum of Turkmenistan to see the biggest carpet in the world, which is included in the Guinness Book of World Records, and to learn about the history of famous Turkmen carpet weaving. In the afternoon we will drive to Nohur mountain village, a magnificently located oasis in Kelet Vally whose inhabitants claim ancestry from the army of Alexander the Great. Here we will see the textiles they make to sell in markets and learn about their daily life. We will have dinner and stay overnight in local family house.
This morning we will leave Ashgabat to visit Bahar's home silk-workshop. Bahar is a very proud Nohurian who was born there. Mrs. Bahar has three old fashioned weaving looms in her house to make local silk scarves and textiles for national dresses.
Our next stop will be at Maya's craft house where a very talented artist is making a series of Turkmen costumes, carpets and all kinds of different crafts.
We will spend most of the day visiting Tolkuchka Market, a very famous and maybe the world's largest market, certainly the largest in all Central Asia. It is the most interesting market you would ever visit, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience; one of the "1,000 places you have to see before you die". It is a market of 70 hectares and as there is no way you could explore it in one day, we will return there again tomorrow.
In the afternoon we'll visit Ashgabat carpet weaving factory to learn about different weaving techniques and see how carpets are made on vertical and horizontal looms.
Today we will return to Tolkuchka Market again to see the displays of Turkmenistan's real source of arts and crafts; it is a feast for your eyes. The color and beauty of different people, carpets, kilims, felts, hats, belts, Kaftans, jewelry are breathtaking and overwhelming There are other interesting things to see as well, such as camels being loaded or unloaded to/from trucks by cranes!
In the afternoon we will visit Russian or Gulistan Bazaar, a fascinating place for fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers, people-watching, etc.
This morning we will take a short flight to Dashoguz, from where we will be transferred to Uzbekistan border. After border formalities we will drive to Khiva, the capital of the ancient Khorezmian Kingdom. As soon as we have some rest in our hotel we will begin a sightseeing tour to get the feeling of this magical and once fabled ancient Silk Road city.
We will have a full day tour of Khiva, which will include the visits to Ichan Kala, the inner fortress; the Muhammad Amin-khan Madrassah and its minaret; Kunya Ark and the Juma Mosque with 218 wooden pillars; the Harem of Khiva Khans; and the Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, a famous ancient wrestler and poet who patronized Khiva.
In the morning we will drive through famous Kizilkum (Red Sand) desert to Bukhara, a historical, holy city. Most of the old city centre is an architectural preserve of ancient buildings.
Bukhara is the centre for local artisans, and we will be able to watch many at work on a variety of handicrafts at the Bukhara Artisan Development Centre.
We will spend the day visiting some colorful local markets, where the Karavan Saray (Trade Domes) is the heart of "Suzanna" production and gold embroidery. Others offer wide selections of Suzanna embroidery, as well as other forms of textiles, clothing, jewelry, carpets and costumes. Suzanna means "needle work" in Tadjik language.
We will be able to visit some of Bukhara's old buildings including caravansaries, madrassas, the complex of Kalon Minaret with its magnificently tiled madrassa and Kalon Mosque. In the afternoon we will visit the Gijduvan ceramic workshop.
In the evening we'll have the pleasure to dine in a former caravanserai and be entertained by Bukhara's local musicians and dancers in local costumes.
This morning we leave for the Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan's most glorious city, passing the villages and colorful markets full of local products. Because these village markets are off the tourist paths and the locals have rare chance to see visitors from other countries, they are fascinated by them. We will be able to interact with them in a natural way, or get the real feeling of the countryside. One of the highlights of this trip is visiting the villages where the famous Suzanna (stitchery) is handmade and seen all over Uzbekistan and beyond its borders. It is a joy for the eyes to see how the families work together to create these incredible images which they have inherited from previous generations, adding their own designs.
This day will be dedicated to the sightseeing of Samarkand. We will visit the Samarkand Silk Carpet Workshop, which makes the dreams from all over the world come true. Here hand-knotted silk carpets of the most varied styles are produced, all with hand-dyed Uzbek silk, just as they were made hundreds of years ago. We will tour the workshop and see the fascinating carpet producing process; we will witness the different stages the silk yarns go through before they reflect their beauty, which Samarkand is so famous for.
Then we will continue our exploration visiting the Registan Square with its three Madrassah, where students studied the Law of God, as well as secular subjects for centuries. You will see the sumptuous gold-covered Tillya Kari Mosque, the Ulugh Beg and Sherdor Madrassah. We will also visit the impressive tomb of Tamerlane with beautiful tile work; and wander in one of the most vibrant, colorful markets in Uzbekistan to absorb all kinds of local flavor.
This will be followed by Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the mosque of Tamerlane's favorite wife, the largest and most beautiful mosque in Uzbekistan. The next stop will be at National Museum of Samarkand which has a fine collection of textiles and pottery. We will end our day by going to the most famous fashion workshops in Uzbekistan, representing high quality, unusual clothing.
This morning we will take a flight from Samarkand to Tashkent and drive to Fergana. Once we arrive in Fergana we will be transferred to our hotel for some rest and then begin our sightseeing with intriguing local markets.
Our two-day tour includes a visit to the city of Margilan, known for its handmade ikat silk production. Here we will learn about the complete process of making ikat to the very final product. This is demonstrated by a sample silk warp, designed with burnt coal markings on the warp, wrapped tightly with threads, dyed , dried, rewrapped in other parts, again, dyed, dried, until the warp has been colored completely following the stipulated colors. The whole process takes many days, and is illustrated by walking through the different parts of the workshop. This 360 yard warp is then transferred to a loom to weave approximately 18 inch wide material.
We may have the opportunity to visit local villages and markets where farmers display and sell the silkworm cocoons. A visit to Rishtan, a village known for its traditional ceramics, is also scheduled. One of the famous local artisans – Mr. Rustam Usmanov – will lead you on a tour of his workshop and show how a piece of clay becomes a piece of art in his hands.
Before we leave for Tashkent, we will first stop in Kokand to visit the late 19th century palace of the last Kahn. Approaching the city of Fergana, we will stop at a large colorful local market with a wide variety of vegetables, foods, breads with colorful people selling and buying all kinds of products.
Then we will view the ancient and picturesque Fergana Valley, drive through the magnificent Pamir Alay Mountain Range and its breathtaking 7,000 feet passes to Tashkent.
We will begin our exploration with a visit to the Museum of Applied Arts, which contains a large collection of Suzanna and other textiles of Uzbekistan. Other items there include: ceramics, jewelry and musical instruments. The museum is in a traditional house originally commissioned for a wealthy tsarist diplomat, built in the mid-19th century, combining carved plaster decorations and painted wooden walls both inside and outside, a feast of brilliant color. Also a visit to the handicraft center at the Khan Madresa is included.
In the morning we will transfer you to Tashkent airport for our flight home.
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