Tours
Hotels
About Uzbekistan
Contacts
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
Send request
Golden Horde – Oltin Orda
-
Itinerary:Kazakhstan - Kygyzstan - Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan
-
Duration:17 days / 16 nights
-
Price:on request
-
Tour program
Itinerary of «Golden Horde – Oltin Orda»Day 01: Arrive Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Meeting on arrival assistance and transfer to Hotel
o/n
Day 02: Almaty/Bishkek – 235 kms
morning sightseeing tour of Almaty visit State Museum of History, Panfilov Park, St.
Thomas Cathedral and the city mosque
Afternoon depart for Bishkek via Zailasky Alatau pass
On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 03: Bishkek/Issikul/Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Day excursion to Issikul Lake enroute we shall make a short trip to Burana to see the ruins of caravan town – we shall see the tower of Burana, the ruins of a madrassah, the
Turkic tombstones and the archaeological museum nearby
Later proceed to Issikul we shall proceed to the banks of Issikul lake
Return in the late afternoon
O/n
Day 04: Bishkek/Taraz – 277 kms (re-enter Kazakhstan)
Morning departure for Taraz as we re-enter into the territory of Kazakhstan. We shall make few short stops at the village markets. On arrival transfer to hotel.
Later we shall visit local Museum which has some very interesting Turkic tombstones, stones with inscriptions and the tribal galleries. Later we shall proceed to the vintage point of the city to view the valley overlooking Taraz river supposedly the site nearby of the famous battle of Taraz between Arabs and the Chinese we shall also visit the tombs of Kara Khanid princess Aisha Bibi
o/n
Day 05: Taraz/Shymkent/Turkestan – 336 kms
Early morning departure for Turkestan we shall make a short stop enroute at Sayram Village. Later continue to Turkestan enroute visit the ruins of Otrar
On arrival at Turkestan transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 06: Turkestan/Shymkent – 165 kms
Morning visit of Ahmed Yassawi complex – see the main shrine and the mosque, the deep meditation pit and the other parts later in the afternoon depart for Shymkent and on arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 07: Shymkent/Tashkent – 124 kms (Uzbekistan)
Morning depart for Uzbekistan and after a short drive arrive at the frontier formalities point. Later proceed to Tashkent and on arrival transfer to hotel afternoon sightseeing tour of Tashkent to include the old city, Hast Imam Complex, Kukeldesh madrassah, Younis Khan’s tomb and the History Museum
o/n
Day 08: Tashkent/Samarkand – 340 kms
Morning departure for Samarkand with short stops enroute we shall make a detour via Djizzak to pass by the Gates of Tamerlane(a narrow passage between the rocks served as the raiding point by Tamerlane during his earlier days) Also Babur during his exile days walked in the vicinities of Djizzak the days of his misfortunes
on arrival transfer to hotel
we shall make a short trip to the beautiful Registan Square
o/n
Day 09: Samarkand
Full day sightseeing tour of Samarkand covering all the important buildings, the Registan Square, the Bibi Khanum mosque, the Silk Road bazaar, Shahi Zinda necropolis,
The Afrosiab site and museum, Ulugbek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane and the History Museum
o/n
Day 10: Samarkand/Shakre Sabz/Bukhara – 428 kms
Departure for Bukhara enroute visiting Shakre Sabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane.
We shall visit Ak Saray the Palace ruins of Tamerlane,Dorus Tilavat seminary, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Dorus Saidat the royal graves and the Friday mosque.
We shall take route via Kitab often used by Tamerlane for going to Samarkand
Later continue to Bukhara and on arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 11: Bukhara
Full day sightseeing tour of Bukhara we shall visit Lyabikhauz, madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque, madrassahs Aziz Khan and Ulugbek.
The tomb of Bayan Quli Khan
Afternoon visit the Arg Fortress, the Balakhauz mosque, Ismail Samanid mausoleum Chasma Ayub, Sitora-i-Mokhkhosa and the tombs of Shaybanids
o/n
Day 12: Bukhara/Khiva – 440 kms
Morning departure for Khiva via the Kizilkum desert(red sands) we shall make short stops enroute. On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 13: Khiva
Full day waling tour of Khiva visit the Ichan kala, Kalta minor, Kunya Arg, madrassah Rakhimkhon, the mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, Islam Khodja minaret and
Museum, Friday mosque, Tashauli harem and the caravan sarai
o/n
Day 14: Khiva/Kunya Urgench/Tashauz/Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)
Morning depart for Turkmen border near Tashauz and after the formalities proceed to Kunya Urgench – we shall visit visit the pre and post Mongol period monuments of Turabek Khanym mausoleum, Il Arslan’s tomb, Kutleg Temir minaret, Sultan Tekesh mausoleum and the caravan sarai
Later also visit the shrine of Najmuddin Kubra – the Sufi Saint of Kubra order
Afterwards return to Tashauz to take the flight to Ashgabat
On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 15: Ashgabat/Mary/Ashgabat – Flt
Day excursion to Merve by flight to Mary
We shall visit the archaeological site of Merve and shall later visit the Museum of Mary
Later in the evening return to Ashgabat
o/n
Day 16: Ashgabat
Full day sightseeing tour of Ashgabat – visit the site of Nissa, the State Museum of
History, the city mosque and the great bazaar of Ashgabat
o/n
Day 17: Ashgabat/Depart
-
Details
Details of itinerary & mapDay 01: Arrive Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Meeting on arrival assistance and transfer to Hotel
o/n
Day 02: Almaty/Bishkek – 235 kms
morning sightseeing tour of Almaty visit State Museum of History, Panfilov Park, St.
Thomas Cathedral and the city mosque
Afternoon depart for Bishkek via Zailasky Alatau pass
On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
The State Museum of History: We can see a good collections of ethnic artefacts from different parts of Kazakhstan. The interesting part of the museum is the room of the Golden Warrior Prince – we see the remains of a golden decorations which part of a princely costume. This find from a local kurgan(mound)is of immense importance as it throws light on the Scythian settlement outside present day Almaty. The eastern part of Kazakhstan bordering with China is Zhunggarian plateau was the ancestral homeland of the Scythian people who the most powerful group of people 7th century BC. Their migration westwards and raids on the rich lands of Central Asia were a common feature. They further spread into the mainland Russia and even the eastern boundaries of Europe. The Zhungarian plateau also played an important base for the Mongol armies who after trudging down the Tien Shan ranges spent their time here in planning their onslaught.
Day 03: Bishkek/Issikul/Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Day excursion to Issikul Lake enroute we shall make a short trip to Burana to see the ruins of caravan town – we shall see the tower of Burana, the ruins of a madrassah, the
Turkic tombstones and the archaeological museum nearby
Later proceed to Issikul we shall proceed to the banks of Issikul lake
Return in the late afternoon
O/n
Balasghun: Present day Burana village was once a fertile town of Balasghun on one of the artery of the Great Silk Road that went through high passes onto Uzgend city near present day town of Osh. Balasghun was invaded by Genghis Khan’s armies and he himself was impressed by the fertile land and its prosperity. Balasghun was an important town during 5th – 7th AD when the local population was mainly Buddhist living along with people professing Shamanism and Nestorian Christians.
Day 04: Bishkek/Taraz – 277 kms (re-enter Kazakhstan)
Morning departure for Taraz as we re-enter into the territory of Kazakhstan. We shall make few short stops at the village markets. On arrival transfer to hotel.
Later we shall visit local Museum which has some very interesting Turkic tombstones, stones with inscriptions and the tribal galleries. Later we shall proceed to the vintage point of the city to view the valley overlooking Taraz river supposedly the site nearby of the famous battle of Taraz between Arabs and the Chinese we shall also visit the tombs of Kara Khanid princess Aisha Bibi
o/n
Day 05: Taraz/Shymkent/Turkestan – 336 kms
Early morning departure for Turkestan we shall make a short stop enroute at Sayram Village. Later continue to Turkestan enroute visit the ruins of Otrar
On arrival at Turkestan transfer to hotel
o/n
Sayram and Otrar: This was the important part of the Mongol invasion as this would then set the course of their future invasions. Genghis Khan devised the attack plans and entrusted his sons with strategies of the future course of action. Infact here begins the ruthless campaign into Central Asia – the towns were completely razed and the populations mercilessly killed. Their onslaught was so terrifying that for a long time no one would not dare to challenge the Mongol authority in the whole region.
Sayram was an important oasis and flourished around 6th/7th AD and was ransacked by the Mongol armies in 1219 AD.
Otrar ruins: The first town to experience the Mongol punishment was the flourishing town of Otrar on the Silk Road. Genghis Khan had sent his emissary at the head of a trade Caravan with lavish gifts for the Khorezmian King Muhammad requesting for trade relations. Due to the cupidity of the governor of Otrar the trade caravan was held up on the pretext of being spies for a possible invasion of Genghis Khan. Infact this trade caravan was in reply to Shah Muhammad’s own spy who had gone earlier to Mongolia to determine the power and expanse of the Mongols. The trade caravan met its fate at the hands of greedy governor who had ordered killing of all its members with only one survived to return to the court of Genghis Khan reported the gory end of the caravan members. On this Genghis Khan asked for explanation and head of the governor in return but this was replied
with the killing of his emissary. These incidents enraged the Mongols who started preparations for the revenge. A large army consisting of also neighbouring
Uyghurs marched off to the eastern most towns of the Khorezmian state. The town of Otrara was besieged by the Mongol army for five months gives us the impression that how strong fortifications the city must have had. Finally the governor of the town submitted to his unfortunate end. A merciless onslaught of the rich town began killing every living soul and the rich buildings were put on fire to a whole scale destruction. Today Otrar is still surviving with the old name is a small town with the excavated
parts of the ruins littered by pot shreds and human bones. There is a small museum nearby where a diorama of the Mongol invasion could be seen.
Day 06: Turkestan/Shymkent – 165 kms
Morning visit of Ahmed Yassawi complex – see the main shrine and the mosque, the deep meditation pit and the other parts later in the afternoon depart for Shymkent and on arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Khoja Ahmed Yassawi: The most revered of all, Khoja Ahmed Yassawi was born around 1100 AD and got his Islamic education under the spiritual guidance of his mentor Aristan Bab who was revered as one of the saints having the spiritual patronage and guidance of Holy Prophet Mohammad. Ahmed Yassawi was a devout Muslim saint a Sufi poet of Tariqa order of Sufist. He made the Islamic teachings made easier for the Turkic people in local language. His teachings and messages earned him a great respect and repute throughout Turkestan and people still throng his mausoleum to pay their respects. Tamerlane was very much indebted to Ahmed Yassawi and regarded him his spiritual mentor and his respect is seen in the mausoleum he ordered similar to his own. It took sometime for Tamerlane of defeat the local Khan of the Golden Horde to establish his authority over the land of his spiritual mentor.
Day 07: Shymkent/Tashkent – 124 kms (Uzbekistan)
Morning depart for Uzbekistan and after a short drive arrive at the frontier formalities point. Later proceed to Tashkent and on arrival transfer to hotel afternoon sightseeing tour of Tashkent to include the old city, Hast Imam Complex, Kukeldesh madrassah, Younis Khan’s tomb and the History Museum
o/n
Tashkent (Chach): Lying by the river Chirchik with Tien Shan ranges in the western sights, the city off Chach or Sash was a halting station for Caravans coming from Ferghana valley. Though the history goes back to stone ages but this small town was ransacked several times by various rulers of Central Asia. Genghis Khan’s armies ransacked the town and destroyed the fortress of the local ruler. During the peaceful periods of the later Mongols by now known as Timurids and later Moghuls wrested the city of Chach from each other for several times. Younis Khan one of noblest and the maternal grand father of Babur ruled Tashkent during 15th AD. These were times when internal strife among the houses of Timur and the Mongols continued for a long time and the fate of the city kept changing.
Day 08: Tashkent/Samarkand – 340 kms
Morning departure for Samarkand with short stops enroute we shall make a detour via Djizzak to pass by the Gates of Tamerlane(a narrow passage between the rocks served as the raiding point by Tamerlane during his earlier days) Also Babur during his exile days walked in the vicinities of Djizzak the days of his misfortunes
on arrival transfer to hotel
we shall make a short trip to the beautiful Registan Square
o/n
Day 09: Samarkand
Full day sightseeing tour of Samarkand covering all the important buildings, the Registan Square, the Bibi Khanum mosque, the Silk Road bazaar, Shahi Zinda necropolis,
The Afrosiab site and museum, Ulugbek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane and the History Museum
o/n
Samarkand: One of the beautiful and oldest inhabited cities of the world, Samarkand often described at the jewel city has long history. The present day Samarkand owes to the predecessors of the Mongols, Sheibanids and Timurids all wrested from time to time. Present day Afrosiab site marks the oldest part with man made dust of ages was strongly fortified when Genghis Khan invaded the city. It suffered greatly and the population was massacred, putting up stiff resistance with very little population survived the onslaught.
Descended from the Turco-Mongol tribe of Barlas Tamerlane was one of the grandest of the rulers lived in Samarkand. Being native of Kesh the present day
Shakre Sabz,he led many expeditions before annexing Samarkand and chose it as his capital. During his campaigns of Isfahan, Tamerlane brought in the Persian architects and designers to build his new capital. We see his building traditions gave a new outlook to Central Asian cities and one can see the influences of different periods and lands in the designing of the buildings. His predecessors continued the tradition of architecture down to the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Day 10: Samarkand/Shakre Sabz/Bukhara – 428 kms
Departure for Bukhara enroute visiting Shakre Sabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane.
We shall visit Ak Saray the Palace ruins of Tamerlane,Dorus Tilavat seminary, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Dorus Saidat the royal graves and the Friday mosque.
We shall take route via Kitab often used by Tamerlane for going to Samarkand
Later continue to Bukhara and on arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 11: Bukhara
Full day sightseeing tour of Bukhara we shall visit Lyabikhauz, madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque, madrassahs Aziz Khan and Ulugbek.
The tomb of Bayan Quli Khan
Afternoon visit the Arg Fortress, the Balakhauz mosque, Ismail Samanid mausoleum Chasma Ayub, Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa and the tombs of Shaybanids
o/n
Bukhara: Another of the oldest inhabited cities of Central Asia Bukhara’s history dates from 5th BC and was successive ruled and destroyed. Genghis Khan’s armies entered the town massacred the local population which was by then subjects of Khorezm Shah. The Poi Kalon mosque and the minarets bears witness to this invasion when the mosque was used as stable for the Mongol horses. The minaret being the highest building was spared to be used to sight the approaching enemy. After the fall of Mongol empire the city was ruled by different tribes of the claiming lineage to the Mongol Khan. Last of the Khan who had assumed the title of Emir was Alim Khan had gone into exile to Tajikistan and then to Afghanistan.
Day 12: Bukhara/Khiva – 440 kms
Morning departure for Khiva via the Kizilkum desert (red sands) we shall make short stops enroute. On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Day 13: Khiva
Full day waling tour of Khiva visit the Ichan kala, Kalta minor, Kunya Arg, madrassah Rakhimkhon, the mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, Islam Khodja minaret and
Museum, Friday mosque, Tashauli harem and the caravan sarai
o/n
Day 14: Khiva/Kunya Urgench/Tashauz/Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)
Morning depart for Turkmen border near Tashauz and after the formalities proceed to Kunya Urgench – we shall visit visit the pre and post Mongol period monuments of Turabek Khanym mausoleum, Il Arslan’s tomb, Kutleg Temir minaret, Sultan Tekesh mausoleum and the caravan sarai
Later also visit the shrine of Najmuddin Kubra – the Sufi Saint of Kubra order
Afterwards return to Tashauz to take the flight to Ashgabat
On arrival transfer to hotel
o/n
Kunya Urgench or the Old Urgench: The capital city of Khorezmia was part of Khiva Khanate of Khorezm Shah. The land itself dates back to 6th Century BC and is mentioned in the text of Darius the Great at Behistun. Later it was part of the Great Sassanid Empire which ruled till the end of 7th AD. After the advent of Arabs into Khorezmia and conversion of the local population to Islam Zoaoratrian faith almost diminished from the land. New Turkic dynasty of Seljuks expanded their empire to Khorezmia around 1000 AD and were defeated by Kara Khitais who were then removed by the Khorezmians Alauddin Tekesh of the slave dynasty. This was the beginning of Khorezm Shahs whose lands expanded across Syrdarya to the foot hills of Tienshan ranges in the east while in the west and southwest lands across Amudarya including the great oasis of Merve. Around 12th century Khorezmia had become the center of learning and culture, the trade and commerce excelled and added to prosperity of the land. As explained earlier it was the unfortunate killing of the trade caravan, that invited he wrath of the Mongols who continued depopulation of the State till it was completely dismembered. Present day Kunya Urgench had seen the devastating onslaught of the Mongol army killing every living soul whose memory still survives in the local legends of the land. From here the Mongol hordes continued their destruction till the oasis of Merve.
Day 15: Ashgabat/Mary/Ashgabat – Flt
Day excursion to Merve by flight to Mary
We shall visit the archaeological site of Merve and shall later visit the Museum of Mary
Later in the evening return to Ashgabat
o/n
Merve: The richest of Oasis in Khorrasan, Merve is one of the oldest place filled with numerous pages of our history. The history of Merve dates back to 6th Century BC and continued till the invasion of the Arabs took it into the great Caliphate rulers. It was part of the Seljuk Empire whose monument of Sultan Sanjar still imposes on the bygone history of the land. The city was very rich and important that the Arabs called it as ‘uroos ul bilad’ mother of the cities, must have been of great importance. After the fall of Seljuks it came under the rule of Khorezm Shahs who were defeated by the Mongols. It is said the Mongol devastation must have taken the life of over two millions souls gives us an idea
how big the city was. The Mongol devastation was a complete destruction of the city and it was so extreme that for many decades no one could dare to inhabit the
land. Archaeologically speaking the site is wide spread with several layers tracing different periods from 6th BC to 17th AD.
Day 16: Ashgabat
Full day sightseeing tour of Ashgabat – visit the site of Nissa, the State Museum of
History, the city mosque and the great bazaar of Ashgabat
o/n
Day 17: Ashgabat/Depart
-
Prices
Tour cost in USD
Price available on request.
-
Reviews
-
Book this tour
Booking form for "Golden Horde – Oltin Orda"