The Silk Road: Crossroads of Cultures (2009)

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From $5695.00, per person, plus airfare, based on double occupancy.

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Trace the path of the great caravans along the old Silk Road, stopping as they did in the oasis cities of what are now Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Today a journey here reveals arching blue-tiled mosques; tall minarets constructed of baked mud brick woven into fabulous patterns; bountiful piles of vivid hand woven carpets; women in brilliant dresses smiling in front of their exotic produce at the bazaars; and a warm and heartfelt reception.

Day 1
Depart the U.S. to Uzbekistan. (Meals: Aloft)

Day 2
Arrive in Tashkent and transfer to the centrally located hotel. Tashkent Palace Hotel or similar. (Snack)

Day 3
Tashkent. Although it doesn't look it today, Tashkent is one of the oldest cities in Uzbekistan. Visit the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater, the Shahid Memorial Complex, the Courage Monument, and Independence Square.  Explore Old Tashkent, including Hast-Imam Plaza, Chorsu Bazaar, and the studio of 6th-generation ceramicist Akbar Rakhimov. Gather for a welcome dinner this evening. (B, L, D)

Day 4
Tashkent and drive to Samarkand. After breakfast, board the coach for the drive to UNESCO-listed Samarkand, Tamerlane’s beautiful capital city. Explore its majestic centerpiece, the Registan. Visit Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of Tamerlane. President Palace Hotel or similar (B, L, D)

Day 5
In Samarkand, Tamerlane and his grandson, Ulug Bek, oversaw a flourishing of architecture and decorative art unmatched in the ancient world. Explore astronomer-king Ulug Bek’s observatory, where he calculated the length of the year to within a minute of the modern accepted value.  Tamerlane built the Bibi Khanum Mosque to be the largest mosque in the Islamic world. Visit the row of tombs and mausoleums collectively called Shah-I-Zinde, or “place of a living king.” (B, L, D)

Day 6
Day Trip to Penjikent. After breakfast, set out on a day trip to Old Penjikent, founded in the 5th century. Tour the remains of Shakristan, two Zoroastrian temples, the citadel, and the houses of wealthy families. Visit the Rudaki Museum of History and Regional Studies, named after the celebrated founder of Tajik and Persian poetry. (B, L, D)

Day 7
Samarkand and drive to Bukhara. Depart for Bukhara along the Silk Road with a stop at the Afghan-Uzbek Carpet Factory. Observe the entire process of dying the thread and weaving the carpets, with an opportunity to shop afterward. Sasha and Son’s B&B or similar (B, L, D) 

Day 8
Bukhara. Touring in the UNESCO-listed Historic Center of Bukhara includes the Lyabi-Hauz Plaza, the Kalon Mosque and Minaret, the lovely Samanid Mausoleum and the Ark Citadel with its Zindan Prison. Meet with the director of the Ark to hear about the local projects they are involved with. (B, L, D)

Bukhara has a Jewish Quarter in the Old Town, where in the mid 19th century 2,500 families of prosperous merchants were estimated to have been living. Cut off in the 15th century from contact with other Jews, the Bukharan Jews developed their own dialect of the Tajik-Persian language, their own style of dress and their own unique form of Judaism. (B, L, D)

Day 9
Bukhara. Travel outside the city today to see the Palace of Moon and Stars, or the Summer Palace of the last Emir of Bukhara, built at the turn of the century after the Russians took control of Bukhara. Arbored walkways connect the various pavilions and buildings. Enjoy dinner tonight at the home of a local family with guests. ( B, L, D)  

Day 10
Bukhara, drive to Khiva. Depart overland to the last great Uzbek city on our itinerary, Khiva, another of Uzbekistan’s World Heritage SItes.  The full-day journey will be well worth it. The living city is part museum town, part re-creation of life hundreds of years ago. Asia Khiva Hotel or similar  (B, L, D)

Day 11
Khiva. A full-day walking tour of the Old Town includes the Tash-Hauli Palace, built in the 19th century; the Dzhuma Mosque with its interior forest of carved wooden pillars; the Kunya Ark; and the ancient well of Khievak. (B, L, D)

Day 12
Khiva, drive to Tashauz, fly to Ashkabad. Early morning departure from Khiva. Cross the border into Turkmenistan and catch a mid-day flight to Ashkabad. Grand Turkmen Hotel or similar  (B, L, D)
 
Day 13
Ashkabad. Tour the Lenin Monument, the new mosque and the Turkmen-Turkish Cultural Center. Visit the Museum of Carpets and Textiles, displaying an abundance of gorgeous carpets, kilims and cushions. Time permitting, explore the National Museum of History and Ethnography with its collection of ivory drinking horns from Nisa. (B, L, D)

Day 14
Ashkabad, day trip to Nisa. Drive to the UNESCO Site of Nisa, once a major center of the ancient Parthian Kingdom.  More than two thousand years ago the Parthian Empire took its place alongside the Macedonian kingdom under Alexander the Great.  Tonight enjoy an early farewell dinner to celebrate our Silk Road journey.  (B, L, D)

Day 15
Ashkabad, Sunday Market. Get an early start today to experience the Tolkuchka Oriental Bazaar, one of the most vibrant open markets in Central Asia. Tolkuchka is a Russian word literally meaning "a lot of elbowing."  The bazaar is brimming with traditionally patterned carpets, Turkmen jewelry, and animals for sale.  (B, L, D)

Day 16
Depart Ashkabad. Transfer to the airport in the early morning. (Aloft)



Posted April 21, 2009.