9-day journey through the Silk Road’s heart

Tashkent

Day 1: Welcome to Tashkent

You will reach Tashkent with a flight from Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. Upon early arrival, your driver will take you to your hotel. After breakfast, you will meet the guide and start a Tashkent city tour.

Visit the complex of Khast-i-Imam, the religious center of Tashkent. The architectural ensemble includes constructions from the 16th – 19th  centuries, like the madrasa of Barak Khan, the spiritual center of Central Asian Muslims, Kaffal Shashi Mausoleums, the Friday Mosque, and the madrasa Moi – Mubarek, with the oldest Osman Quran of the 7th century.

After lunch, you will visit Zangiata and the mausoleum of Sheikh Ai- Hodge (Zangi-Ota), a student of the great Sufi master Khoja Ahmad Yassavi, the spiritual ancestor of all Turkic leaders of Central Asia.

All of the visits are quite flexible and planned together with the travelers to make it well-organized.

Tashkent - Bukhara

Day 2: Train Trip to Bukhara

After an early breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the railway station to take the express train to Bukhara, well-known as the land of 7 Piirs (teachers). After arrival, you will leave your luggage at the hotel and start a pilgrimage to different holy sites.

See the tomb of Hazreti Said Mir Kulol (1287-1370) and the holiest ensemble of Bukhara, the memorial complex of Hazrati Bakhouddin Naqshbandi – the founder of the Naqshbandiya Order in the village of Qasri Orifon.

After lunch, you will visit the Chor–Bakr Necropolis, a complex in Sumiton village and the Mausoleum of Aby Khafs Kabir.

Bukhara

Day 3: On Sufi Traces

Enjoy your breakfast before you start to explore places in the outskirts of Bukhara, where Seven Sufi scholars were buried. Visit the tomb of Abduholiq Gijduvaniy (1103-1179) in the town of Gijduvan (40 km from Bukhara); the tomb of Gijduvaniy’s fourth apprentice - Khoja Muhammad Orif Ar Revgariy, known as Hazrat Khoja Orif Mohitobon, a holy place in the district of Shofirkon.

Then, visit the burial site of Hodja Mahmud Anjir Fagnaviy, who died in 1286 and the Mausoleum of Khoja Ali Rometaniy (apprentice of Khoja Mahmud Anjir Fagnaviy) in the Rometan district, and the burial-place of Hodja Mukhammad Boboyi Samosiy (1259-1354), an apprentice of Hodja Ali Rometaniy.

Bukhara

Day 4: Highlights of Bukhara

Today, you will enjoy a full day sightseeing program including the visit to the Poi-Kalyan complex, consisting of three constructions from the 12th to the 15th century, the madrasah Miri-Arab, the mosque and the minaret Kalyan, the “Great minaret,” and the main decoration of the complex. The Abdulaziz-Khan Madrasa bears witness to the remarkable architectural progress of medieval Central Asia. Delve into the lively atmosphere of the Tim Abdullah Khan, a covered bazaar built in 1577.

The Magok-i Attari Mosque (today a Museum of Carpets) is one of the oldest architectural monuments with heathen shrines, the remains of a Buddhist monastery, and a Zoroastrian Temple.

In the afternoon. you will continue to explore other monuments and religious buildings and visit the Ark-Citadel, a massive fortress, built and occupied around the 5th century AD.

Bukhara - Shakhrisabz - Samarkand

Day 5: Journey to Samarkand

A nice breakfast will prepare you for the 4-hour drive to Samarkand via Shakhrisabz city where you will enjoy a sightseeing tour. Visit the Dorut-Tilovat , the House of Mediation complex, firstly constructed in the 13th century by Shamsiddin Kulal. He had traveled from Bukhara to Kesh (Shahrisabz) to teach Islam to local people.

The sons of many noble families studied at the Dorut Tilavat madrasa. One of these famous protégés (murid) was Taragai (d. 1356 AD) – Amir Timur’s father.

In the afternoon, your drive to Samarkand will continue. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Samarkand

Day 6: Wonders of Samarkand

In the morning, you will drive to the Memorial Complex of Imam Al-Bukhari, the great theologian of the East, who collected and recorded about 600.000 hadith, sayings of the Prophet. Besides, al-Bukhari selected about 7400 hadith to include into the famous “As-Sahih” which became the second most important book after the Koran for most Sunni Muslims.

The next holy place, only a few kilometers away, is the burial place of Hazrat Makhdumi A'zam Dahbediy (1461-1542), a Sufi philosopher, and descendant of Hazrat Ali.

In the afternoon, you will visit the magnificent Reguistan Square, surrounded by its three madrasas, the medrasa Ulugbek, the Sher-Dor medrasa, and Tillya Kori with its Golden Mosque.

The last visit of the day will be to the Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by the best architects and artisans of Khorossan, Azerbaijan, Persia, and India.

Samarkand - Tashkent

Day 7: Tashkent Sightseeing

In the morning, your guide will take you to the Shakhi Zinda Ensemble of Mausoleums, which includes more than 20 buildings. The most important mausoleum of the complex is the Mausoleum of Kusam ibn Abbas, the cousin of the prophet Mohammed, who came to Moveraunnahr in the 7th century, to preach Islam to local people. Then, you will visit the Hazrat Hizr Mosque, Gur-Emir Mausoleum, and the Mausoleum of Khoja al Mansoor al Matrudi.

Your journey continues with the high-speed train to Tashkent. Upon arrival, a driver will pick you up and take you to your hotel.

Tashkent

Day 8: Farewell, Tashkent

Your day starts with a visit to the “Islam Academy” and to the Charsu Bazaar, the biggest oriental market in Tashkent, where you will feel a sense of life and will closely interact with locals.

In the afternoon, you will take an entertaining and relaxing visit to the Museum of Applied Art of Tashkent, the ancient palace of Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev, which was transformed into the museum in 1938.

At 8 pm, your driver takes you to the International Airport for your flight home.