“The true journey of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust
The route passed through Khiva-Bukhara-Samarkand-Tashkent.
8-day tour in Uzbekistan
A tour allowing you to discover the architectural riches of the three major cities – Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. In antiquity and medieval times these three cities were capitals and important commercial crossroads on the Great Silk Road.
The day by day program:
Day 1: Paris / Ourgench- Khiva
Night flight Paris/Ourgench. Arrival very early in the morning. Welcome by your local guide and transfer to Khiva (35km). BreakfastGuided tour. A true open-air museum presenting an architectural harmony of the 15th century. Khiva is the most authentic of all the oases of Central Asia thanks in particular to its clay streets and its squares centered on the very well preserved interior. is one of the most typical cities in the country, witness to the oldest Uzbek architecture with its buildings made of sun-baked bricks and adobe.
In the city surrounded by pink clay ramparts, you will visit the madrasa of Moukhammad Amin Khan and Kalta Minor (unfinished minaret 19th century) Kounia Ark the old fortress (17th-19th centuries) the madrasa of Moukhammad Rakhim Khan (19th century) juma mosque (X-XVIII centuries) with its 218 carved wooden columns, the mausoleum of Said Allautdin (XIV century) Tash-Hauli, the second residence of the Khans of Khiva (19th century) the mausoleum of Pakhlavan Mahmoud (XIV-XIX centuries) )the Islom Khodja complex (beginning of the 20th century). And the workshops of wood carvers, medersas, palaces
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 2: Khiva –Ayazkala
Breakfast. Free morning for professional photos in Khiva. Lunch and departure towards the citadels of the Ayaz Kala ancient Khorezm desert. (about 150 km). Visits and walking tours around Ayaz Khala citadel, Touprok-kala, Kizil-kala. Dinner and Night under the Yurt
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 3: Ayazkala – Boukara (500 km)
Breakfast Early departure for the long road to Bukhara crossing the Kizil-Kum desert. This road was used by caravans transporting silk from China. Lunch in a restaurant in the middle of the desert. Arrival mid-afternoon and guided tour of Bukhara, a traditional city with ancient charm and an authentic way of life, Bukhara is a prosperous oasis having experienced a prodigious cultural and religious boom under the Samanid dynasty. Today, it is the only city in Central Asia with an intact historic center that is still inhabited. Let’s start with the Liabi – Khaouz complex, one of the most popular places in Bukhara, which consists of the Nadir-Devan-Beghi madrasa. (1620) and the Khanaka
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 4: Bukhara
Breakfast Continuation of the visit to Bukhara: the Magok Attor mosque (12th – 16th century) We then stroll under the merchant domes of the (16th century), Toki-Sarafon and Toki-Tilpak Fourouchon (hatters’ dome), it is also the opportunity to discover Uzbek crafts. Bukhara the holy. It is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. From its Arab, Persian and Torque history, it has retained a lot of charm. Visit of the citadels, mosques and madrasas including the Poi-Kalian complex which consists of the Kalian minaret (1127), the Kalian mosque (16th century) and the Miri-Arab medersa (16th century) the merchant dome of Toki-Zargaron (the jewelers’ pavilion)(16th century), the medersa of Oulougbek (1417) and Abdoulazizkhan (1652), tim of Abdoullakhan (16th century), Ark, The mausoleum of Ismail Samani ( IX-X ss), the Tchachma Ayoub mausoleum (XIV-XVII ss),
Small free area for photos.
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 5: Bukhara – Samarkand (300 km)
Breakfast. Departure for Samarkand, on the road we visit a ceramic workshop in Ghijdivan and the Sardoba, ruin of a Caravanseraille from the 11th century. After the transfer to Samarkand we begin our visit with the Ulougbek observatory (15th century), then the Afrosiab museum, the ancient site where the remains of the first city of Samarkand dating from the 8th century BC are located. This city was destroyed by the Mongols in 1220.
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 6: Samarkand
Breakfast.Visit of Samarkand, we visit the famous Reghistan square, the Heart of Samarkand with the Oulougbek medersas (15th century), Cher-Dor medersa (17th century), and Tilla –kori medersa (17th century). The Bibi Khanoum Mosque and the Siyob market, the Chakizinda necropolis, the pearl of Samarkand, a collection of mausoleums dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries, a true museum of medieval architecture…The Gour-Emir mausoleum (15th s), which houses the tombs of Tamerlane and his descendants.
Small free area for photos.
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 7: Samarkand- Tashkent
Breakfast. Departure for Tashkent (320 km), 5 hours drive and visit, arrival at 1 p.m. in Tashkent, visit the capital of Uzbekistan, the Khazrati Imam complex, the Chorsou market, the Tashkent metro with the square independence and place of Timur.
Dinner. Night at the hotel.
Day 8: Tashkent – Paris
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Paris.
END OF PROGRAM
