Sometime about 100 years before the birth of Christ, the great empires of Parthia and China exchanged embassies and inaugurated bilateral trade. Thus the Great Silk Road was born, bringing great caravans the miraculous fabric from China to Parthia and onward to the Roman Empire and back, laden with goods from the Mediterranean and Europe. In between was Central Asia, where legendary cities like Samarkand, Bukhara and Merv became the clearinghouse keeping trade flowing in both directions.
Starting from Tashkent, the modern capital of Uzbekistan and Central Asia’s main transportation hub, our tour visits Khiva, a notorious slave market as late as the early 20th century; Ashgabat, the off-beat, nouveau riche capital of Turkmenistan; the remains of mighty Merv, once the greatest of the Central Asian Silk Road cities; Bukhara and Samarkand, whose modern sections lie side-by-side with the great monuments from the time when the overland trade from East and West met in their vast bazaars and caravanserai.
DAY 01 SINGAPORE / TASHKENT
Fly Singapore/Kuala Lumpur MH616 1910/2010 – Daily (1h)
Kuala Lumpur/Tashkent HY554 2235/0330 – Wed (7h 55m)
Upon arrival, be met and transfer to your hotel.
DAY 02 TASHKENT / URGENCH / KHIVA
After breakfast, meet your guide and proceed for a sightseeing tour of Tashkent. The capital of Uzbekistan was almost totally destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1966, but a small area of the old city was preserved. Your tour will visit this first, starting from the Khast Imam Square, consisting of the Barak Khan Madrassah, Tillya Sheykh Mosque and Kafal Shashi mausoleum. Then continue to Independence Square, Amir Temur Square, and the Alisher Navoi Theatre Square.
In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for check-in to your flight to Urgench.
Fly Tashkent/Urgench HY1057 1800/1940 (1h 40m)
Upon arrival, be met and transfer 30 km to Khiva and your hotel.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 03 KHIVA
Morning tour of Khiva. According to legend, it was founded by Shem, one of Noah’s sons, and was a trading post on the Silk Road by the 8th century. Khiva rose into prominence in the late 16th century as the capital of Korezm under the Shaybanids, gaining notoriety as a major slave market. Ichan-Kala, the historic ‘walled city’, is today a UNESCO World Heritage and we spend the day here visiting the madrassah and minaret of Islam Khodja, the Tash-Khauli Palace, the Kunya-Ark fortress, and other monuments, and soak in the atmosphere of the medieval city.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 04 KHIVA / KUNYE-URGENCH / ASHGABAT
After breakfast, drive 330km or about 5 hours to Tashauz. First, depart for the border village of Shavat and cross in to Turkmenistan to meet your Turkmen guide and driver. Then proceed to Kunye-Urgench, capital of the ancient state of Khorezm, through which a northern branch of the Silk Road passed. The city was sacked by the Mongols in 1220, from which it never recovered. Drive back to Dashogus (Tashauz) in time for the flight to Ashgabat.
Fly Tashauz/Ashgabat T5 110 2250/2350 (1 hr)
(Breakfast included)
DAY 05 ASHGABAT
This morning visit Tolkuchka Bazaar, the Sunday morning market. This sprawling bazaar, across acres of desert just outside the city, is one of Central Asia’s greatest and most colourful sights, and a reminder of its glorious trading past. Then drive out to see the remains of Nissa, founded in the 3rd century BC and the thriving capital of the Parthians until the 13th century, when the Mongols, again, razed it to the ground. Return for a tour through the city. Once a small capital of a marginal Soviet desert republic, Ashgabat was transformed by vast oil and gas wealth into an extravagant and somewhat bizarre monument to the vast ego of the late President Niyazov (or Turkmenbashi – ‘Leader of the Turkmen’). Start at Independence Square, flanked by grandiose palaces and government ministry buildings, and continue to the magnificently awful Arch of Neutrality and the surreal, white marble suburb of Berzengi, where we visit the National Museum to see its excellent collection.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 06 ASHGABAT / MARY
Morning transfer to the airport for the short flight to Mary, the third-largest city in Turkmenistan.
Fly Ashgabat/Mary T5 127 0650/0740 (50 min)
On arrival, drive to visit Merv, which, at its peak in the 11th and 12th centuries, was likely the largest city in the world. Under the Seljuk Turks, it was the greatest city in the Islamic world, after Baghdad, until it surrendered to the Mongols in 1221, whereupon every single inhabitant was executed, and most of the city leveled. Enough monuments remain to make this one of the most memorable historical sites in Central Asia.
Return to Mary for overnight stay.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 07 MARY / BUKHARA
After breakfast at the hotel, depart for the town of Farab on the Uzbek border. Cross and meet your Uzbek guide and driver, then proceed onwards to Bukhara. The drive of 400km today takes about 5 to 6 hours. On arrival, check-in to your hotel for a rest.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 08 BUKHARA
Bukhara flourished in the 9th and 10th centuries as the intellectual, religious and cultural heart of Central Asia, before falling to Genghis Khan. In the 16th century, it became the capital of the Shaybanids, achieving its greatest glory. Its center was a vast marketplace with over one hundred madrassas and more than 300 mosques. We spend the day visiting the monuments of Bukhara, including the Citadel Ark – highest point in the city; the Samanids Mausoleum – considered a masterpiece of Central Asian Architecture; the Bolo-Khauz mosque and the local bazaars, housed in the restored ‘trading domes’ of the 14th to 17th century.
Dinner with folklore performance at Nodir Divan Begi madrassah and overnight Bukhara.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 09 BUKHARA
Continue our tour of Bukhara, visiting Lyabi-Khauz Complex and the Poi-Kalyan Complex, the symbol of the city. After lunch, make an excursion to Sitora-I-Mokhi-Khosa, summer residence of the last Emir.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 10 BUKHARA / SHAKRISABZ / SAMARKAND
Departing from Bukhara in the morning, drive across mountain passes and tunnels to visit Shakhrisabz. Shakhrisabz was the birthplace and hometown of Amir Timur, the national hero of Uzbekistan, better known to the rest of the world as Tamerlane. In the 14th century Tamerlane rampaged around Central Asia, establishing a short-lived empire stretching from the Caucasus to Iraq, Iran and Northern India. At the height of his power, Samarkand was his capital and was greatly enriched. Shakhrisabz was turned into an extended family monument – the Ak-Sarai Palace, mausoleums and mosques were built for himself and his descendents.
Continue to Samarkand. The drive today is 390km or about 6 hours.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 11 SAMARKAND
Samarkand was probably founded in the 5th century BC, the capital of the Sogdian Empire. A key Silk Road city, it changed hands every few centuries, but remained one of the world’s great cities of its time until its destruction by Genghis Khan in 1220. In the 14th century, Amir Timur made it his capital and the economic and intellectual center of Central Asia until the 16th century, when the Shaybanid dynasty moved the capital to Bukhara. Today its monuments, including the famous Registan plaza are among the most awesome sights in Central Asia. We spend the whole day visiting the sights of Samarkand.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 12 SAMARKAND / TASHKENT
Morning visit the Afrosiab Archaeological site and the museum of the city’s foundation. Continue to the memorial complex of Imam Al-Bukhari, who compiled what is believed to be the most authentic set of hadith or traditions of the Prophet Muhammed. Then return to Samarkand for lunch before driving 320km or about 4 hours to Tashkent.
(Breakfast included)
DAY 13 TASHKENT / SINGAPORE
Have a leisurely start to the day, your last in Central Asia. Meet your guide and visit the Museum of Applied Arts; then visit one of the ornately decorated stations on the Tashkent Subway, and take a ride to Chorsu Market.
After dinner, transfer to the airport for departure flight.
Fly Tashkent/Kuala Lumpur HY551 2210/0840 – Thu (7h 5m)
Kuala Lumpur/Singapore MH611 0925/1020 (55m)
(Breakfast included)
Arrive Singapore on Day 14.
Uzbekistan 
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