Depart the USA on overnight flight.
Fly to Europe and take connecting plane to Tashkent.
Upon arrival in Tashkent after midnight, as soon as you go through Customs and Immigration formalities, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. After some sleep and a chance to freshen up, we will start the Silk Road experience with a city tour of Tashkent. We'll see the monuments and religious centers in Hasti Imam Square, the ancient heart of Tashkent, (Barak-khan Madrassah, the Mausoleum of Kafal Shashi). We will explore the beautiful Amir Timur Square and the buildings around it, built at different times over the last three centuries; also the gorgeous Theater of Alisher Navoi, built by the Japanese in the middle of the 20th century, the Museum of Applied Arts with its refined samples of Uzbek handicrafts and the Chorsu Bazaar.
In the morning we will fly to Urgench, the modern city of the Khorezm region, where we will be met and transferred to Khiva, the capital of the ancient Khorezmian Kingdom. After some rest in our hotel we'll begin a sightseeing tour to get the feeling of this magical and once fabled ancient Silk Road city.
Today we will have a full day tour of Khiva, which includes 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.
This morning we will travel to the border crossing point at Dashoguz between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and after border formalities, we will drive to the famous city of Konye-Urgench whose almost complete annihilation by Genghis Khan more than 800 years ago is a palpable example of the incredible destructive power of Khan and also legendary Tamerlane. Rebuilt during the relatively calm period that followed, Urgench grew into an important trading city before Tamerlane, but considering the area as a rival to his own Samarkand, he effectively completed its demolition.
This morning we will drive through the famous Karakum Desert (Black Sand), second largest in the World to nomadic village of Damla. Before Damla we will stop at Darvaza gas crater which was created by a massive gas explosion in 1986 when Soviet experts were searching for natural gas in Turkmenistan. Our final destination will be Damla village where we experience real Turkmen nomadic life in Karakum Desert, see their way of life and enjoy their hospitality. After dinner we will sleep in Turkmen National Yurta.
Leaving Damla behind, we will head to Ashgabat ('City of Love' in Arabic), the capital city of Turkmenistan since its independency in 1991, which is undergoing dramatic changes. Once we arrive in Ashgabat we will check in at our hotel for some rest and then visit Fine Art Museum of Turkmenistan which has a beautiful collection of Russian and Turkmen paintings.
This morning we will go to Nissa, the ancient capital of Parthian Empire and probably the best preserved old site in Turkmenistan.
In the afternoon we will visit the 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.
We will dedicate the day touring some of the sites in this 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.
In the morning we will visit the world's famous and Central Asia's largest Tolkuchka Market to see the displays of Turkmenistan's real source of arts and crafts; it is a real feast for your eyes. The color and beauty of different people, carpets, kilims, felts, hats, belts, Kaftans, jewelry are breath-taking and overwhelming. But there are other interesting things to see as well, for instance, camels are 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 watch, etc.
Today we will take an early flight from Ashgabat to Mary, the third-largest city in Turkmenistan. After arrival, we will travel to Gonur Depe or Margush, the largest archaeological excavation in the Near East, which experts have confirmed to be the site of the fifth great center of civilization (joining Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India). Some of the highlights of Gonur Depe include: the palace excavations, the Zoroastrian temple "Temenos", the Necropolis and the Temple of Water.
Today we will explore one of Turkmenistan's greatest attractions, the historic city of Merv. Vast and complex, this is the country's only UNESCO World Heritage site and is considered of vital
significance to the culture of Central Asia. We will visit the remains of Alexandria, Antiokhia, Sultan Kala, the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, Ibn Zaid, and the medieval castle "Keshk".
Then we will cross the border at Farap, traveling through the Kara Kum desert and crossing the Amu Darya River. After customs and border formalities, we will continue on to Bukhara, Central Asia's holiest city. The old part of Bukhara is essentially an architectural preserve that is being restored, and you will enjoy some time to wander in its streets to absorb the atmosphere.
While in Bukhara, we will visit the old city, the Ark Fortress, the Bolo Hauz Mosque, Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub, Kalyan Minaret, and the Trading Domes with all kinds of handicrafts, carpets and jewelry being sold there. We will also explore the Maggoki Attori Mosque, Lyabi Hauz Square, Kukeldash Madrassah, Nadir Divan Begi Madrassah, and the Indian style Chor Minor from the 19th century.
In the afternoon we will travel out of Bukhara to visit the Bakhautdin Naqshband Shrine, a monument to the great Islamic scholar and Sufi spiritual leader, and the Bukhara Emir's Summer Palace, Sitora-i-Mokhi-Khosa.
Today we will drive south-east towards Samarkand, the 'Oriental Star', traveling via Shakhrisabz, the city where Tamerlane was born. In Shakhrisabz we will see the famous Ak Saray (White Palace), Kok Gumbaz, Doru Saodat and Doru Tillovat. After lunch we will continue on to Samarkand, where we will check in at our hotel and have some leisure time.
We'll begin our exploration of Samarkand making a visit to the Registan Square with its three Madrassah, where students had learned the Law of God and some secular subjects for centuries. We will see the sumptuous gold-covered Tillya Kari Mosque, and then view the Tomb of Tamerlane, which also contains the tomb of Mir Sayyid Baraka, Tamerlane's spiritual tutor. Later we will proceed to the Shahi-Zindah complex, which contains the Mausoleum of Qusam Ibn-Abbas, who is considered the second most important figure in Islamic world after Muhhamed, as supposedly he was the cousin of the Prophet himself. Next we will see the tremendous Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by Tamerlane's order to symbolize the power of Allah. In its yard you will see the massive stone book-holder, which, as legend goes, was once used for the Holy Book kept in Tashkent. We will finish our day with a tour of the Ulugh Beg Observatory and the Afrosiab Museum.
Today we will return to Tashkent at a leisurely pace. Once we are in the city, there will be time to do final exploration or shopping before our farewell dinner.
Transfer to the airport for early morning departing flight to home.
We recommend travel insurance.
