Classic Uzbekistan: Minarets and Madrassas

Today is a Friday. If you are flying from London then we recommend the direct Uzbekistan Airways flight, departing from Heathrow at 21.35 and arriving in Tashkent tomorrow morning at 08.25.

If you’ve taken the direct Uzbekistan Airways flight from London (or Paris), you’ll arrive early this morning. We will meet you at Tashkent airport and transfer you to your 4* hotel in Tashkent city centre. After a late breakfast at the hotel and some time to rest, we’ll reconvene for lunch, then spend the afternoon exploring some of the sights of Tashkent, Central Asia’s largest city. We’ll visit the Hasti-Imam complex in the old city to see the world’s oldest Koran, take a ride on the stunning Soviet Metro, wander around the fascinating Applied Arts Museum and visit Amir Timur Square, with its impressive statue of the ‘conqueror of worlds.’ For those who wish, we’ll then go out to supper and take in a performance at the Alisher Navoi theatre.

It’s an early start this morning in order to catch the 07.25 flight from Tashkent to Khiva. After a one hour flight, and a forty-five minute transfer by road, we’ll reach Khiva, one of the most famous desert citadels on the Silk Road, and have the rest of the day to explore the UNESCO-listed old city – the Ichan Qala. Wandering through its dusty alleys, you’ll get a very good sense of this historic place – its brutal slave trading past, its madrassahs and minarets, its fabulous arts and crafts. Among the sights we’ll be seeing today are the Juma Mosque (with its wonderful carved wood pillars); the Tosh Hauvli palace, also known as the Khan’s harem, and the Kuhna Ark – the Khiva rulers’ own fortress and residence, first built in the 12th century. The handicrafts in Khiva are exceptional, and you will no doubt also spend some time gazing at the many fabulous shops and street stalls. Tonight we’ll be eating with a local family, and will also have a rather special private dance performance.

After breakfast we’ll drive for two hours into the Kyzl Kum desert to visit some of the incredible 2500 year old ‘Golden Ring of Khorezm’ fortresses that once guarded passing Silk Road caravans from raiding Turkmen tribes. Featured in Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road TV series, these fantastic ruins rise out of the desert like mighty crowns of sand and give a real sense of the wealth that once flowed through here. Having clambered up to one of the main fortresses, Ayaz Kala, we’ll have lunch in a desert yurt camp. For those who wish, there’ll be a chance to ride a shaggy Bactrian camel, one of the very ones that featured in Joanna’s series. We’ll be back in Khiva by late afternoon, in time for some R&R (or shopping!) before supper at a rooftop restaurant.

After breakfast at our hotel we’ll hit the road south to Bukhara, one of the jewels of the Silk Road. It’s a seven hour drive south across the red sands of the Kyzl Kum desert, and we’ll stop on the way for a BBQ at a roadside tea house. We’ll reach Bukhara by early evening, in time to check in to our delightful boutique hotel, relax for a few hours and then have supper at a charming nearby restaurant.

We have another day in the fantastic city of Bukhara today, starting with a visit to the Summer Palace of the last Emirs of Bukhara, known by the poetic name Sitora-i Mokhi -Khossa, or ‘Star like the Moon’. Named after one of the Emirs’ favourite wife, who died in childbirth, the lavish palace was completed in 1917 and is a fusion of Oriental, Russian and European styles, set in lovely rose gardens. From here we’ll drive a few km to visit the shrine of the much revered Sufi poet and theologian Sayf ad-din Boharzi. After lunch you’ll have the opportunity to relax or explore Bukhara by yourself, before we all meet again for supper at a rooftop restaurant (weather permitting!).

Today we’ll be leaving wonderful Bukhara to take the ‘Golden Road to Samarkand’ – arguably the most fabled of all the ancient Silk Road cities. It’s a four hour drive but we’ll be stopping in the town of Gijduvan to meet a family of master ceramicists and learn about their highly skilled art. Prepare to spend the rest of the trip coddling your new Uzbek bowls! Following lunch with a local family we’ll drive on to Samarkand and check in to our boutique hotel. The early evening will be spent getting to know Samarkand’s famous Registan Square and its dazzling turquoise-domed Timurid architecture. You’ll soon see why this city was feted by Marco Polo, Xuanzang, Ibn Battuta, Lord Curzon, Joanna Lumley and so many more. After supper, we’ll be visiting the workshop of a well-known Uzbek artist and fashion designer for an exclusive talk on Uzbek fashion and textiles.

Samarkand certainly isn’t somewhere you want to rush away from, so today we have the whole day to see the wonders of Timur’s former capital, the heartland of the ancient Silk Road. Among the things we’ll marvel at will be the stunning Shakhi Zindar necropolis, Timur’s Tomb (where the mighty conqueror was buried under the largest slab of jade on earth) and the famous Sogdian frescoes of Afrasiab. Supper will be with a local family, and will involve learning how to cook the Uzbek national dish, pilav.

This morning we’ll visit a fascinating local silk carpet factory, where we’ll learn about process-of silk-carpet production – from a single silk cocoon right through to the finished masterpiece. Afterwards, we’ll have a final lunch in Samarkand, some free time to buy the last souvenirs, and then catch the 16.00 high-speed Afrasiab train to Tashkent. We’ll be in Tashkent in time for cocktails at our 4* hotel, followed by a final celebratory supper at one of the city’s best restaurants.

Our final day today! If you are catching the 16.00 Uzbek Airways flight to London (which arrives at Heathrow at 20.00) we’ll have time to explore more of Tashkent this morning – including a visit to the Fine Arts museum in the company of a local art historian. We’ll then have a last lunch and make sure you are at the airport in time for your flight home.