Twilight over Mongols descendants

Day 01: Arrive Bishkek – Flt
Meeting on arrival at Manas International Airport – assistance inside the airport and later transfer to hotel.
after a good rest we shall meet in the lobby and later proceed on orientation tour of Bishkek
Later we shall mount our busses for an orientation tour of Bishkek City passing through important Govt. buildings ending with a visit to the ‘painters garden’ see followers of Monet or Picasso or any famous Russian avant-garde painters
We shall watch the well know ‘Kyrygz Philharmonia’ performance in the National Cultural Center
Afterwards we shall proceed to a local restaurant for a Cocktail followed by a Grand Dinner (with local folk music) – we shall have a short introductory talk by Kyrgyz University Professor on Kyrgyz people
Overnight

Day 02: Bishkek
This morning we shall proceed on an excursion to Tokmok and later to visit the village of Burana to see the ruins of a caravan town with present dating from Kara Khanid period 9^th/11^th AD. The settlement was as old as 5^th AD mentioned as “Balashagun’ by then part of a Buddhist kingdom whose marks are left on the rock drawings in the form of ‘tankas’ carved or scribbled with Buddhist deities.
We shall visit the prominent brick tower, the Museum nearby and see the Turkic tombstones.
Later return to Bishkek for Lunch at the hotel.
Early afternoon we shall proceed to Alarcha Canyon – this is one of the beautiful parts
Tienshan ranges that surrounds Bishkek – on arrival we shall make a short walk to view the heart of the valley with wonderful scenic views of the mountains.
We are invited to a grand BBQ dinner with full lamb roasted accompanied by vegetables, pulaos and salads – this will be an exclusive arrangement in the wilderness
During the course dinner we shall hear the famous ‘Manaschi’ relating stories in the form of folk music of the Kyrgyz people
Overnight

Day 03: Bishkek/Ashgabat – Flt
Morning we shall depart for Manas International airport for flight to Ashgabat
On arrival transfer to Hotel.
Lunch will be served in the hotel restaurant
Later we shall visit The Carpet Museum and later drive through the city and its highlight landmarks. We shall then visit a Stud to see the rare and beautiful ‘Akhel Tekke’ horse breed.
We shall then return and shall proceed to one of the best restaurants of the town for a traditional Turkmen cuisine
Turkmen people
Overnight

Day 04: Ashgabat
This morning we shall see the famous Tolkucka bazaar see the various Turkmen tribes culminating at the site to sell their products mainly the famous Turkmen carpets. This is also a great sight to see Turkmen folks rushing into like a great market day.
Afterwards we shall proceed to a local restaurant for Lunch
Later continue the sightseeing to visit Nisa archaeological site – then we shall see rich Parthian collection at the National Museum
We shall then drive to City Mosque and visit the tomb of the father of the nation Turkmenbashi a modern tomb but in the chaste Islamic architecture
Dinner with folk music in one of the best local restaurants
Prior to the Dinner we shall have a Cocktail party in the restaurants – we shall serve famous Caviar of the Caspian Sea
Overnight

Day 05: Ashgabat/Mary/Ashgabat
Ashgabat/Depart – Flt
Travel to one of the ancient archaeological sites of Merve by taking flights in/out of Mary town. We shall have a detailed visit of Merve by visiting Gaiyur Kala, Erk Kala and Sultan Kala. We shall also see the impressive mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar one of the powerful Khorezmian ruler. The archaeological site of Merve often mentioned as Margiana by classical writers is a rich city which was part of the Achaemenian empire in 6^th century BC, the city was invaded by the Macedonians under Alexander the Great and passed through successive rulers till it was invaded by the Arabs in 8^th century AD serving as part of a springboard for their invasion of Central Asia. In the Islamic era it was known as the ‘Mother of the cities’ which flourished as an important town on the Great Silk Road running to Parthia. It was invaded by the Mongols in 13^th century who depopulated the city by mercilessly killing more than a million souls.
Return in time for flight to your destination

OR

Ashgabat
We shall dedicate the morning exploring more of the city of Ashgabat
We can arrange visit to famous Turkmen Carpet makers and their Show rooms