Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan Tour | 2

Flight to Ashgabat

Early morning arrival at Ashgabat International Airport (ETA 02:00 am)

Migration formalities usually take 1 to 2 hr: PCR test, visa/passport control, and baggage claim. Please come out of the terminal, the driver meets with a signboard with your name.

Transfer to the hotel. Extra night.  

Resting time after the flight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

11:00 Meet the guide at the lobby. Start sightseeing in Ashgabat visiting:

- Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Independence Park with Monument of Independence (it's a 118m column that is considered the highest building in the country),

- Neutrality Arch - a unique composition that rotates slowly after the sun;

- National Museum with an exposition from Ancient Merv and Nissa. 

-Turkmenbashi Mosque – Mausoleum. It is considered the biggest in Central Asia (10 000 people). There are beautiful fountains and a garden near the mosque. 

- A trip to ancient Nissa (18km from Ashgabad) that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the ruins of the ancient city (the date of foundation of the I millennium BC).

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Takeaway breakfast
Transfer to the airport.
06:20 Departure for Mary by morning flight.

07:00 Arrival at Mary Airport. 

Transfer to the land border, Farab - Alat. Border crossing, migration formalities ( visa/ passport control). 
The driver meets at the Uzbekistan side of the border. Transfer to Bukhara.

Resting time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide in the lobby. Start the walking sightseeing program in Bukhara (5 hrs):

- Ensemble Lyabi Hauz (Nadir Divanbegi Madrassa, Khanaka, Kukeldash Madrassa, and the monument of Khodja Nasreddin);

- Magoki Attari Mosque is one of the oldest mosques to survive in Bukhara from the time before the Mongolian invasion.

- Abdullakhan’s Tim, with numerous handicraft shops of souvenirs, ceramics, national clothes, and carpets;

- Caravanserai Sayfuddin (the Center of Handicraft Development of Bukhara);

- Trading domes, or so-called covered bazaars, Toki Sarrofon, Toki Telpak Furushon, and Toki Zargaron, preserved from the 16th century, and these bazaars were the centers for trade of silk, jewelry, and money exchange. Nowadays, visitors can purchase different souvenirs of a wide range, from small souvenir magnets to the famous Bukhara carpets.

- Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrassas, or so-called Kosh (pair) madrassas, opposite each other with the distinctive style of facade ornamental decoration;

- Poi Kalon Square with Kalon Minaret and Mosque, Mir Arab Madrassa – the heart of Bukhara, a monumental complex that impresses the imagination;

- Ark Fortress – the oldest citadel, dating back to the 1st century BC, where one can feel the history of the great fortress covered in beautiful legends and myths.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Sightseeing program in the Bukhara countryside, visiting:

- Samanids mausoleum (9th century), a monument of early medieval architecture.

- Sitora-I – Mohi Khosa – last Emir summer residence visit by request.

14:30 Transfer to the railway station in Bukhara.  

16:11 Departure for Samarkand by train "Afrosiyob"/ “Sharq”.

18:00 Arrival in Samarkand.

The driver meets at the terminal exit with a signboard " ANUR TOUR". Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide and driver. Start Samarkand sightseeing: 

– Gur Emir Mausoleum – a burial vault of Timur the Great and his descendants, decorated with gold ornaments and considered one of the most significant places in the world;

– Continue to Registan Square – the heart of Samarkand and a real masterpiece of Central Asian medieval architecture—which consists of three grandiose buildings: Ulughbek Madrassa, Madrassa Sherdor, and Madrassa Tilla Kori.

– Bibi Khanum Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city, which was one of the most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world in the 15th century;

– Samarkand Bazaar Siyab.

Transfer to the hotel.
Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide at the lobby. Continue the sightseeing program in Samarkand (5 hours):

– Shahi Zinda Necropolis – a unique complex of mausoleums formed by standing on both sides of the cenotaph (an imaginary grave) belonging to the Muslim person named Saint Abbas ibn Kussam;

– Ulugbek’s Observatory – one of the finest astronomical centers in the medieval world—was built by order of Ulugbek, an outstanding scholar and astronomer;

– Khoja Doniyor Mausoleum - the mausoleum over the grave of one of the saints. According to legend dating back to the 18th century, the ashes of the Old Testament biblical prophet Daniyar (Daniel) are buried in the mausoleum, the remains of which were brought to Samarkand and buried by Amir Timur.

– Paper factory "Meros”  in Konigil village that produces unique paper that can be preserved for more than 400 years, and is used in craftworks.

17:35 Departure for Tashkent by train "Afrosiyob"/"Sharq".

20:05 Arrival in Tashkent. 

Come out of the terminal; the driver meets with a signboard  "ANUR TOUR".

Transfer to the hotel, check-in.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

09:00 Meet the guide. Start sightseeing tour of Tashkent (5 hrs):

- Amir Timur Square, founded in 1882 and originally called Konstantinovsky Square, was renamed on August 31, 1994, after Amir Timur to honor the cultural and historical contribution of the great conqueror.

- Theater Square with the Opera House: The State Academic Theater of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi, built in 1947, is one of the best opera theaters in the world that performs both classical and national repertoires. 

- Independence Square, the main square of Uzbekistan, reflects the past, present, and future of the country. There are fountains standing for the life energy of Uzbek people, the Cabinet and the Senate, the “Eternal Flame" in honor of soldiers who died during the Second World War.
- Earthquake Memorial, the composition is devoted to the tragic date of the earthquake in Tashkent on April 26, 1966, and is erected in the approximate place of the earthquake epicenter. Residents still come to the monument to honor those people who took part in the reconstruction of Tashkent.

- Khast Imam Square – a religious center of the city consisting of the Barakkhan madrasah and Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum. Khast Imam is one of the most significant spiritual centers in Central Asia and attracts pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.

- Chorsu Bazaar – the ancient bazaar of Tashkent. “Chorsu” means “four water”, symbolically meaning the conjunction of four major parts of the old city in the bazaar where people come for trade. The bazaar's beautiful blue dome, built in traditional style after the Tashkent earthquake, is often depicted in postcards and international magazines and became one of the major sights of interest both for locals and guests – one can see the oriental tiled bazaar from different souvenir shops with ceramics, handicraft works, carpets, and jewelry, the whole pavilion full of delicious fruits to the finest textiles and colorful fabrics.

- Tashkent Metro (the first line was launched in 1977) with beautiful train stations, each decorated in a thematic style with traditional ornaments and special lighting.

Transfer to Tashkent International Airport.
Evening departure flight from Tashkent (ETD 20:00).

End of the tour.