(99871) 2814148
Contacts

UZBEKISTAN
45/405 Shota Rustaveli Street
100100
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

PAKISTAN
Mezzanine Floor., Office 8A
Mushtaq Mansion, Block D
Fazel-e-Haq Road, Blue Area
Islamabad, Pakistan

E-mail: tashkent@sitara.com islamabad@sitara.com

Phone (Uzbekistan): (99871) 2814148, (99871) 2814149, (99871) 2553504
Phone (Pakistan):  (9251) 2805583, (9251) 2805288

Fax: (99871) 1206500

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In Quest for the best of Uzbekistan

  • Itinerary:
    Tashkent - Ferghana - Kokand - Tashkent - Samarkand - Shakre Sabz - Bukhara - Tashkent
  • Duration:
    11 nights / 10 days
  • Price:
    on request
  • Tour program
    Itinerary of «In Quest for the best of Uzbekistan»
    Day 01: Arrive Tashkent – Flt
    Tashkent/Namangan – Flt
    Namangan/Ferghana – 108 kms
    meeting on arrival, assistance and transfer to hotel. (immediate rooms)
    morning free at leisure
    Lunch at hotel
    Later short orientation tour of Tashkent and transfer to airport for flight to Ferghana Valley.
    On arrival at Namangan transfer to Ferghana city
    Transfer to hotel
    Dinner and overnight

    Day 02: Ferghana
    Today we shall spend the day exploring the great artisans in Silk weaving and pottery making – our first visit will be at Margilan to see the silk weavers of Ferghana Valley.
    We shall visit Yodgarlik Silk factory and later visit artisan quarters at Madrassah Syed
    Ahmed Huja Ishan – we see the variety in silk weaving, dyeing processes, carpet weavers and the traditional block printing on cloth
    later we shall proceed to Rishton to see the potter master Rustam Usmanov at work in his home cum workshop with a small pottery museum – a nice lunch at his family house 
    return to Ferghana in the late afternoon    
    Dinner and overnight

    Silks & Ikats of Ferghana:
    Silk has a long history in Ferghana and was introduced from China as the legend says a local prince was married to a Chinese princess whose love for silk was unbearable that made her bring silk worm eggs hidden in her hairs as until now the Chinese long kept secret was disclosed with fine production of local silks with due merit of a princess! Whatever the legend may say but silk had made impact in Central Asia and was in high demand restricting to the aristocracy. The production of silk under went changes with political life and sometimes it lost its production and was revived again in late 60’s. The best of silks produced are abr-band or ikats and widely worn by the rural population. The finest quality of Bakhmal (soft surfaced) was used among the higher class and the ruling families. Today silk is rejuvenated in its various forms and the weavers in Ferghana are trying their best recapture their ancestral art of fabric.

    Ferghana Pottery:
    Pottery has always been the trade mark of any flourishing community but the Ferghana pottery was known for its unique design and color. The city of Rishton is the potter’s home ground as the finest of clay was well available from the nearby river bed. As soon this art revived we saw emergence of private workshops turning beautiful pottery and has been acclaimed widely in the traditional pottery world.     

    Day 03: Ferghana/Kokand/Tashkent – 348 kms
    Morning depart for Tashkent enroute we shall visit the residence/fort of Khan Khodoyar the last ruler of once powerful Kokand Khanate. We shall visit the fort museum and will have glimpse of the daily life in Khanate days later continue to Tashkent via Kamchik pass picnic lunch enroute 
    on arrival transfer to hotel. 
    Dinner and overnight

    Day 04: Tashkent/Samarkand – 340 kms
    Morning sightseeing tour of Tashkent – visit the old part see Hast Imam complex, Barak Khana seminary, Tila Shaikh mosque archives, Chorsu bazaar, Kukeldesh Madrassah, later visit Akbar’s pottery house assisted by UNESCO.
    Visit the Fine Arts museum
    Lunch at local restaurant
    Later proceed to Samarkand and on arrival transfer to hotel.
    Short walk to Registan Square for a sunset photo session
    Dinner and overnight

    Day 05: Samarkand
    Full day sightseeing tour to include: Registan Square to see the three beautiful madrassahs, later proceed to Bibi Khanum mosque, the Silk Road bazaar and Shahi Zinda necropolis
    Lunch at local restaurant
    Afternoon visit Afrosiab Museum on the ancient site of Samarkand, Ulugbek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the beautiful mausoleum of Tamerlane. Later we shall visit Samarkand Winery for wine tasting.
    Dinner at local restaurant
    Overnight  

    Samarkand Winery:
    The history of Samarkand wine making dates back to Sogdian times 1st BC or even earlier. The Samarkand from her ancient history boasted of finest gardens due abundance of water resource of Zarafshan river. There were numerous orchards the vineyards produced the best of the different kinds of grapes. The wine making was properly regulated as seen from the recording on pot shreds from the ancient site of Afrosiab. During the Czarist expansionist policies brought aristocracy to Samarkand chosen as the capital of Russian Turkestan. M.A Khovrenko a rich man moved to Samarkand and cultivated a large variety of vineyards around the city. The winery dates from 1868 and later during the communist rule it under went some changes for the production of best of wines for the communist hierarchy.
    There is an interesting wine museum and the degustation hall – you may try some of the best local wines               
                  
    Day 06: Samarkand
    Morning visit the History Museum – see the vast collection from various sites and beautiful costume and tribal art sections.
    Later we shall see a show in one of the local houses – this is Alfiya’s Gallery with wonderful collection of material and old art work

    Uzbek Cooking session:
    afterwards we shall visit an Uzbek family house to see the local cuisine being cooked. For those interested in the cooking of Uzbek pulao are invited to take part in the cooking of pulao, baking of bread and samsa. This will be a local traditional cooking and hospitality session
                  
    El-Merosi Theatre:
    This is a unique where we can see the local theatrical art. There is a regular show of ancient costumes with starting from the times of Persian invasions to Alexander the Great’s marriage to ‘Roxane’ in Samarkand down to Chengiz Khan and Tamerlane period. Then the costumes of different parts and of various ethnic groups now living in Uzbekistan    
    Overnight

    Day 07: Samarkand/Shakre Sabz/Bukhara – 408 kms
    Morning depart for Bukhara enroute visit Shakre Sabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane.
    Our first stop will be the local village market – see the local folks culminating at one place to sell their products, embroideries and carpets. Later continue to Shakre sabz
    visit Ak Saray Palace ruins, Dorus Tilavat seminary, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Dorus Saidat and the Friday mosque
    Lunch at local Uzbek house
    Later continue to Bukhara and on arrival transfer to hotel.
    Folk show in Nadirkhon Devanbegi madrassah
    Dinner and overnight

    Bukhara:
    As is more known as the “Bukhara-i-Sharif” the sacred Bukhara, was seat of the largest of Khanate whose influence marked deep impression on the political history of the region that capitulated her rivals into the controversy of a greater regional control – the Imperial Russia and the British Indian Empire both tried vow the nervous emir whose hereditary empire was at the brink of collapse. (read the Great Game)      
    The history of Bukhara dates back to 5ht century BC when it was part of the Great Achaemenian Empire the begins the successive invaders and rulers devastating the great oasis. The oldest part of Bukhara more popularly known as Varaksha was the seat of the last of the heathen Turks when their last ruler Bukhar Khudat was slain by the invading Arabs establishing their rule into the first of Central Asia soil. Bukhara’s chequered history keeps changing with the passage of time. It was an important town on the Great Silk Road as the caravans traversed across the Oxus river before heading for Merve. The region was Bukhara was infact the meeting point of various cultures –
    the Zoroastrian Persians, Buddhists and the local Turkic tribes mostly with animistic or shamanist beliefs. A critical eye on its buildings and monuments will reveal you the influence of various cultures

    Day 08: Bukhara
    Full day sightseeing tour of Bukhara – We shall visit Lyabikhauz – the city pond and earnest place of local folks gathering over a cup of tea., madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi and later visit the Sarai to see the local handicrafts under the auspicious of UNDP, the first cupola, Mogaki Attari mosque – a mosque with traces of a fire temple, a Buddhist temple and the lately the mosque – worth seeing are decors with many regional influences. Later visit the second cupola – the covered bazaar known as tilpak frushan – the hat sellers market. Later visit madrassahs of Aziz Khan and Ulugbek and afterwards we shall see the grand minaret known as Poi Kalon and the Mosque nearby is one of grandest of pre-Mongol period monuments.
    Lunch at hotel
    Afternoon visit Ark Fortress, the Balakhauz mosque, Ismail Samanid mausoleum, the Chasma Ayub(Job’s Spring)
    We shall then attend a Puppet show in local theatre – the art of puppetry is now dying with the hereditary families refusing to continue their family tradition. See a local episode of a legend or an Uzbek marriage
    dinner at Doostan private house – to taste the Silk Road cuisine walking through the Jewish quarters brings the age old memories of the Old Bukhara
    Overnight

    Day 09: Bukhara
    Another interesting day with morning excursion to Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa – the summer residence of the last emir of Bukhara – see wonderful Imperial Russian collections sent as political gifts to the emir – beautiful Russian chandeliers, cut glass mirrors, furtniture and wonderful China ware. The other important part is to see the exhibit of suzzane embroidery – this it traditional needle point work very common among the nomadic tribes and designs keep changing with the environment and habitat. 
    We shall then see the see the “palace of miracles” – the shrine of famous Sufi Saint Bakhauddin Nakshbandi – revered through out Central Asia and India.
    Also see the graves of former rulers of Shaybanid dynasty.
    Return for lunch at hotel
    Afternoon we shall make an excursion to Paikand – one of the Transoxiana cities, Paikand dates back to 1st BC which has seen successive invasions and rules till the last were the Arabs in 7th/8th AD. We shall make this visit with local archaeologist going through the city ruins, the wall and the site museum    
    Later free time to explore the covered markets
    dinner at Modari Khan madrassah with light classical music
    Overnight

    Day 10: Bukhara/Tashkent – Flt
    Day free to explore the cultural city of Bukhara – see the covered bazaars
    Meals at the hotel
    Later in the evening flight to Tashkent and on arrival transfer to hotel.
    Overnight

    Day 11: Tashkent/Depart – Flt
    Transfer to airport for your departure flight
    Assistance on departure 
  • Details
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  • Prices
    Tour cost in USD
      Price available on request

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