FORGOTTEN OASES

Flight to Tashkent. Arrival in the evening or early the next day (depending on the connection). On arrival, you will be greeted at the airport by your travel guide and accompanied to your hotel.
One overnight stay in Tashkent.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Havruz Hotel in Tashkent

After breakfast in the hotel, you make a tour through the old town of Tashkent. Today we will visit the Khast Imam Complex. In the large square there are the Tilla Sheykh Mosque, the Barakkhan Medrasa and the Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum which show Tashkent from the time when the town was the centre of the great development of Islamic culture and religion. The oldest version of the Koran is kept in the library of the medrasa. The manuscript dates back to the third Caliph Osman. Then you go to the «Chorsu» Bazaar, which was already well known in the Middle Ages and stood at the crossroads of the caravansaries along the Great Silk Road. This is one of the largest markets in Tashkent, not far from the town centre. In the afternoon you will walk through the modern part of the town, on the way visiting Independence Square, the Statue of the Grieving Mother, and the Alisher Navoi Opera House as well as the Amir Timur Park with his monument. At 18.50h we take a fast train "Afrosiyob" towards Samarkand. Arrival at 20:58h. Dinner in a local restaurant. Three overnight stays in Samarkand.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Ideal Hotel in Samarkand

Samarkand has many symbolic names, one of which is ‚Rome of the Orient, as the town is just as old as Rome. Throughout history the town has not only been the hub of culture, trading and learning but also the struggle for power and possessions. The town and its surroundings experienced its heyday during the reign of
Amir Timur (Tamerlan). You will see the following constructions whilst you are in Samarkand: Today in the morning we visit the Grave Complex of Saint Daniel - the largest pilgrimage site of the Islamic world; Ulugbek Observatory, once the greatest research centre in Central Asia; Shakhi Zinda Necropolis or «living king» – a grave town where today the members of Timur’s family are buried. In the Afrosiyob Museum which is next to the Archaeological Site, you will hear a-2700-year-old history of the town. In the late afternoon, you will go to the Theatre „El-Merosi “(the heritage of the people) to see a folklore programme which tells a story of the region through dance. During the show, the actors will demonstrate the costumes of various historic periods in Uzbekistan, from the Bronze Age up to the present. Dinner in a local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Ideal Hotel in Samarkand

After breakfast, we visit one of the visiting cards of Uzbekistan – the famous Registan Square with its wonderful medrasas that will not leave you indifferent and will always be a memory of Samarkand for you. You visit the Bibi-Khanim Mosque, which was once considered to be one of the greatest sacred buildings of the Orient. According to legend, Tamerlan had the mosque built for his beloved wife. Right after visiting the mosque, you go to the Siyab Bazaar and try Samarkand bread which is famous all over Uzbekistan with its special aroma due to the clay ovens (Tandyrs) heated up with cotton twigs. In the morning we visit a Silk Paper Factory, which was founded by the brothers Mukhtarov. Thanks to their efforts, the old tradition of paper manufacture according to Samarkand technology was revived. It is interesting that the entire production is carried out by hand and the guests can observe the process. The factory is in a picturesque place with shady trees, the Siyob River, a small tea-house where one can take tea. Dinner in a local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Ideal Hotel in Samarkand

Trip to Shakhrisabz (Green Town) through the mountain pass. Today you will see the town citadel Shakhrisabz on foot: the ruins of Tamerlan «Ak Saray»’s Summer Palace, the Mosque Khazrati Imam and Kok-Gumbaz as well as the Dar-us-Saodat Complex. The ruins of the Summer Palace are still simply monumental and bear witness to the past greatness of Timur’s Empire. We reach Katta Langar late in the afternoon. Dinner with a local family. Two overnight stays in a guesthouse in the mountain village of „Katta Langar “.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Guest House in ‘’Katta Langar’’

Katta Langar is one of the oldest villages in the country and there are several historic sacred sites there which are well frequented. We will walk through this mountainous village and visit an old Jome Mosque from the 16th century. Then we go to Langar Mausoleum on foot. In this pilgrimage site, there are graves of a Sufi sheykh from the region and his family members. You will like the green landscape with rustic architecture. Dinner in the guesthouse.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodation: Guest House in ‘’Katta Langar’’

Trip to Bukhara and check in to the hotel. Bukhara is known as the «Dome of Islam» and was one of the most important reloading sites on the caravansary route. Today you will make a first tour of this town which is more than 2500 years old (UNESCO-World Heritage Site). Visit to the Ark Fort, the Bolo Khauz Mosque, the Chashmai Ayub Mausoleum and the oldest monument of Bukhara - the Mausoleum of the Samanids. You will feel transported to the world of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’. Dinner tonight is in an old Jewish house with a local family. The Susani embroiderer Abdurahman tells us about Bukhara’s embroidery. Today we try Emirs Plov. One overnight stay in Bukhara.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner.

Today we visit the domed arcades and trading streets of the Toki-Sargaron goldsmiths, the architectural complex of the Medrasas Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan, the domed arcades of the hat makers Toki Telpak Furushon. In the historic town centre of the 17th and 18th century you can relax with a cup of tea at the refreshing water fountain at Lyabi Khauz with the Medrasas Nadir Divanbegi and the Hospice for Dervish Khanaka Nadir Divanbegi. Then we see the wonderful, small construction Chor Minor. Return to Tashkent with the fast train 15:48-19:40. Dinner in a local restaurant. One overnight stay in Tashkent.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner.
Accommodation: Navruz Hotel in Tashkent.’

After an early breakfast, drive to Tashkent Airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.