• Travel along a key section of the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes


• Discover three unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites spanning thousands of years of history


• Admire the majestic madrassahs of Samarkand’s Registan Square


• Wander through the monuments and madrassahs of Bukhara


• Explore Tashkent and the historic heart of ancient Khiva


• Visit old caravanserais and ancient desert castles


Day 1: Tour starts in Tashkent The tour starts late morning in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s vibrant capital which sat at the heart of the old Central Asian trading routes, gaining prominence under the Mongols and the Shabanids, before finally being absorbed by the expansionist policies of the Russian empire during the 19th century. Flattened by a devastating earthquake in the mid- 1960s, the city was reinvented by the Kremlin to represent the very epitome of the socialist ideal. This afternoon provides with an opportunity to discover a little more of the Uzbek capital, with a tour of some of its highlights. including the Khast Imam Complex, the stunning edifice of the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Chorsu Handicraft Bazaar, a vast open-air market that sits in the heart of the old part of the city, as well as the Museum of Applied Arts.


City Palace Hotel or similar (L,D)


Day 2: Tashkent – Samarkand: Early morning we catch the high- speed train which travels through four provinces to Samarkand, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Central Asia. Once we have checked in to our hotel, we spend the afternoon exploring this amazing city. Once one of the greatest cities on earth, Samarkand is a name that resonates with the commerce and colour of the old Silk Road. We’ll spend this afternoon paying a visit to Registan Square, the ancient heart of the city, as well as the Sherdor, Tillya Kari and Ulugbek Madrasahs. We then continue on to visit the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of Tamerlane, the founder of the Timurid Empire.


Malika Prime or similar (B,L,D)


Architectural Traveller | Page 75


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80