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UZBEKISTAN
45/405 Shota Rustaveli Street
100100
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
PAKISTAN
Office No F-1, Safdar Mansion
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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Buddhism in Uzbekistan
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Itinerary:Uzbekistan - Tajikistan
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Duration:11 days / 10 nights
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Price:on request
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Tour program
Itinerary of «Buddhism in Uzbekistan»Day 01: Arrive Tashkent – Flt
Meeting on arrival assistance and transfer to hotel
Dinner and overnight
Day 02: Tashkent/Termez – HY
Morning flight to Termez – the principal town of Surkhadarya
On arrival transfer to hotel
Later we shall visit the Archaeological Museum of Termez
Talk on Buddhism in Uzbekistan in the museum
Meals and overnight
Day 03: Termez
Morning visit Fayz Tepe monastery complex and Kara Tepe monastery
Afterwards proceed to Kampir ruins of town and shall visit Zurmala tower
A Buddhist stupa remains
Afternoon we shall visit Samanid period Kirkyz fortress and Sultan Saodat
Complex and Hakim al Tirimzi’s tomb by the river Amudarya(Oxus river)
Day 04: Termez/Dushanbe – 251 kms
Morning depart for Tajikistan border point at Denau once an important Kushan town of Khalchiyan. Enroute we shall make a short stop at Dalverzin tepe another of the important city which flourished around 1st/2nd AD. Important golden objects were recovered from the site.
Later proceed to the border and after the border formalities continue to Dushanbe – we shall make short visit of Gissar region and shall see the remains of an ancient fortress and the madrassahs of 16th/17th AD
later proceed to Dushanbe.
On arrival transfer to hotel
meals and overnight
Day 05: Dushanbe
Full sightseeing tour of Dushanbe to include: Museum of Antiquities, Museum of Fine Arts & Ethnography, the memorial of Ismail Samonid and the local bazaar
Meals and overnight
Day 06: Dushanbe/Penjikent/Samarkand – 293 kms
Early morning depart for Penjikent via the newly constructed under Anzob pass through the picturesque Zarafshan valley and arrive Penjikent. We shall visit Penjikent site on a hill and later see Rudaki Museum.
Afterwards we shall proceed to the border to re-enter Uzbekistan and continue for a short drive to Samarkand.
arrival and transfer to hotel
meals and overnight
Day 07: Samarkand
Full day sightseeing tour of Samarkand – visit Registan Square to see the three beautiful madrassahs, later proceed to Bibi Khanum mosque, the Silk Road bazaar and Shahi Zinda necropolis.
Later visit Afrosiab museum and site, Ulugbek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane
We shall then visit the Afrosiab Museum of Samarkand
Meals and overnight
Day 08: Samarkand/Shakre Sabz/Bukhara – 408 kms
Morning depart for Bukhara enroute visit Shakre Sabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane.
We shall visit the Timurid monuments and later proceed to Bukhara
On arrival transfer to hotel
Meals and overnight
Day 09: Bukhara
Full day visit of Bukhara – we shall visit Lyabikhauz, madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque, Poi Kalon minaret and mosque.
The living madrassah of Miri Arab, madrassahs Aziz Khan and Ulugbek
Later visit Ark Fortress, Balakhauz mosque, mausoleum of Ismail Samanid and Chasma Ayub
Meals and overnight
Day 10: Bukhara/Tashkent – Flt
Full day sightseeing tour of Bukhara and then in the evening flight to Tashkent
On arrival transfer to hotel
Meals and overnight
Day 11: Tashkent/Depart – Flt -
Details
Details of itinerary & mapDay 01: Arrive Tashkent – Flt
Meeting on arrival assistance and transfer to hotel
Dinner and overnight
Day 02: Tashkent/Termez – HY
Morning flight to Termez – the principal town of Surkhadarya
On arrival transfer to hotel
Later we shall visit the Archaeological Museum of Termez
Talk on Buddhism in Uzbekistan in the museum
Meals and overnight
Day 03: Termez
Morning visit Fayz Tepe monastery complex and Kara Tepe monastery
Afterwards proceed to Kampir ruins of town and shall visit Zurmala tower
A Buddhist stupa remains
Afternoon we shall visit Samanid period Kirkyz fortress and Sultan Saodat
Complex and Hakim al Tirimzi’s tomb by the river Amudarya(Oxus river)
The Buddhist monasteries of Fayz Tepe and Kara Tepe have recently been re-excavated and lot of restoration work has been accomplished. These monasteries suffered considerable damage owing to their mud structure.
Unlike Buddhist monasteries of Gandhara and Afghanistan, here mud was readily applied in sunburnt brick structures. The first excavations were carried by the Soviet archaeologists and some important objects were discovered out of which an important alabaster relief of Buddha in typical Gandharan style was recovered in almost perfect condition. Recently UNESCO project has been doing restoration work on Fayztepe. The site of Karatepe which is under a restricted radar station can be accessed by permission.
Karatepe site has several caves supposedly the deep meditation cells of the monks. The Chinese pilgrim Huen Tsang who visited around 7th century AD describes about presence of several Buddhist monasteries and stupas around Termita region. When he visited the place, Buddhism was already in decline under the last of the Kidara Kushans but it was then the short rule of Sassanids and the subsequent invasion of the Arabs that brought an end to Buddhism in this part.
Kampirtepe is an interesting model of an ancient city ruins which was constructed by the banks of Amudarya. This was an important Transoxiana city of the Bactrian Kingdom constructed at a strategic point. The city is said have been in existence when Alexander the Great invaded these parts. We can see the city tower area and the living quarters fairly visible and understandable on the site.
Day 04: Termez/Dushanbe – 251 kms
Morning depart for Tajikistan border point at Denau once an important Kushan town of Khalchiyan. Enroute we shall make a short stop at Dalverzin tepe another of the important city which flourished around 1st/2nd AD. Important golden objects were recovered from the site.
Later proceed to the border and after the border formalities continue to Dushanbe – we shall make short visit of Gissar region and shall see the remains of an ancient fortress and the madrassahs of 16th/17th AD
later proceed to Dushanbe.
On arrival transfer to hotel
meals and overnight
Day 05: Dushanbe
Full sightseeing tour of Dushanbe to include: Museum of Antiquities, Museum of Fine Arts & Ethnography, the memorial of Ismail Samonid and the local bazaar
Meals and overnight
Museum of Antiquities Dushanbe: A well laid out museum which has some nice collection of Bactrian Greek period, an excellent collection of Buddhist art from the Kushan cities and sites and wall scrapings the murals from Sogdian and other sites.
But the most important collection of the museum is the reclining Buddha which is supposed to be the largest left in the region after the demolition of Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. This Buddha about 16 mtrs long in nirvana posture (death) was found from the site in Ajina Tepe called Qurgan tepe. It was found In fragmentary state and was restored in present condition by the Soviet Archaeological team. The strong room of the museum has objects in gold and mostly are of Scythian and Kushan period.
In the afternoon we shall make an excursion to the site of Qurgan Tepe
Day 06: Dushanbe/Penjikent/Samarkand – 293 kms
Early morning depart for Penjikent via the newly constructed under Anzob pass through the picturesque Zarafshan valley and arrive Penjikent. We shall visit Penjikent site on a hill and later see Rudaki Museum.
Afterwards we shall proceed to the border to re-enter Uzbekistan and continue for a short drive to Samarkand.
arrival and transfer to hotel
meals and overnight
Penjikent site and Rudaki Museum: The site of Penjikent is situated at a strategic position overlooking Zarafshan valley was once a Sogdian city of commercial importance as it was at the junction of routes from China(Pamir branch of Silk Road) and the Spice route from India. The city being a commercial center had a cosmopolitan population with an Indian quarter with a Shiva temple remains was found. Another was a Buddhist stupa and temple and even the remains of a Nestorian origin were found at the site. There was marked Zoroastrian influence. The site dates from 5th AD but was flourishing in 6th/7th AD. The invasion by the Arabs in 8th AD and the killing of the last ruler of Penjikent Devastush changed the perspective of the town to a city dominated by Arab rulers and most of the population converted to Islam. The site was methodically excavated from 1946 onwards by various archaeological missions. The major part of the murals were scraped and sent to the Hermitage while a small part is displayed in Dushanbe and in the Rudaki museum.
Day 07: Samarkand
Full day sightseeing tour of Samarkand – visit Registan Square to see the three beautiful madrassahs, later proceed to Bibi Khanum mosque, the Silk Road bazaar and Shahi Zinda necropolis.
Later visit Afrosiab museum and site, Ulugbek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane
We shall then visit the Afrosiab Museum of Samarkand
Meals and overnight
Samarkand is more than a jewel city of the ancient Silk Road, boasted of its lush green gardens and rich Sogdian towns which excelled in commerce and art. Every invader had eyed Samarkand as a gem to adore their prized territories. The beautiful murals in Afrosiab Museum depict the life style which was rich in attire and material wealth. From the Achaemenian Empire to the invasion of Macedonians under Alexander the Great Samarkand was chosen to be an important town. It was the invasion of the marauding Mongol armies that it suffered for a long time but rose once again under the progenies of the Mongols as the jewel of the east. Tamerlane made Samarkand as his capital and constructed the town on the pattern of Persian design and style which continued for a long time and its influence could be seen as far as the Indian subcontinent.
The Afrosiab Museum of Samarkand has some excellent displays of artefacts and statues from the various sites. There is a marked distinction seen in these collections between the Buddhist and Zoroastrian influences as this part may be reckoned as the turning point setting course of Buddhist trail eastwards on the Silk Road.
Day 08: Samarkand/Shakre Sabz/Bukhara – 408 kms
Morning depart for Bukhara enroute visit Shakre Sabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane.
We shall visit the Timurid monuments and later proceed to Bukhara
On arrival transfer to hotel
Meals and overnight
Day 09: Bukhara
Full day visit of Bukhara – we shall visit Lyabikhauz, madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque, Poi Kalon minaret and mosque.
The living madrassah of Miri Arab, madrassahs Aziz Khan and Ulugbek
Later visit Ark Fortress, Balakhauz mosque, mausoleum of Ismail Samanid and Chasma Ayub
Meals and overnight
Bukhara is most probable derivation from the Sanskrit word ‘vihara’ a monastery. Looking at the madrassahs here one can reckon the style of a Buddhist monastery.
Bukhara’s history dates back to more than thousand years and outskirts were the great cities of heathen Turks who continued its possession till the death of last Bukhara Khudat around 8th AD. The city may have had a small Buddhist settlement as it is visible from the traces found in Mogaki Attari mosque. This could be the last resort of Buddhism in Central Asia as the strength of Zoroastrianism was very strong further westward, which may have hindered its spread further.
Day 10: Bukhara/Tashkent – Flt
Full day sightseeing tour of Bukhara and then in the evening flight to Tashkent
On arrival transfer to hotel
Meals and overnight
Day 11: Tashkent/Depart – Flt -
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Tour cost in USD
Price available on request.
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