Silk Road Journey Through Uzbekistan

After meeting our local guide and transferring to our hotel, we’ll tour Tashkent and visit the Applied Art Museum. The museum is home to over 7000 examples of embroidery, skull caps, jewellery and other examples of craftsmanship which date from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day. We then take part in a hand sewing workshop with our expert before dinner. We spend tonight in Tashkent.

This morning we’ll travel to Kokand, one of the ancient cities of Uzbekistan, and crossroads of two of the main ancient trade routes into the Fergana Valley. On arrival we’ll enjoy a tour of the city, exploring the staggeringly grand Khudoyer Khan Palace, which was built in 1871. Originally consisting of seven courtyards and 119 rooms, sadly only 2 of the courtyards and 19 rooms have survived. We will also visit Juma Mosque, the foundations of which were laid as far back as the ninth century. Our tour will continue to Dangara, where we’ll visit a wood carver’s workshop and Rishtan, one of the oldest and most famous centres of ceramics in Uzbekistan. Dinner and overnight in Kokand.

We start the day with an excursion to Margilan, which, by the end of the 9th Century was already an important stop on the Silk Road. We’ll enjoy a tour of the city including: - Said Ahmad Khoja Madrassah, which is now home to a number of craftsmen producing handmade carpets and silk - Yodgorlik Silk Factory, where we’ll see the production process of silk with traditional Ikat patterns. The factory was established in 1972 and today the staff number around 450 people, most of them women. Every month the factory produces up to 6000 metres of fabric, including pure silk and half-silk fabric - Hunarmandlar Markazi fabric store Dinner and overnight in Kokand.

This morning we return to Tashkent, where we’ll continue our city tour, including: - Amir Temur Square, the true heart of the city - Independence Square, the largest square in Tashkent, filled with trees, fountains, monuments and flowers - Alishger Navoi Theatre, one of the leading centres of performing arts in Central Asia - Akbar Rahimov’s Pottery School, where we’ll see how products are made and enjoy tea and oriental sweets. The school opened in the mid-20th Century and is now run by the founder’s son and grandson Dinner and overnight in Tashkent.

We fly to Urgench this morning and continue by road to Khiva, the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed in the World Heritage List. Our city tour today will include trips to several former Madrassahs: Madrassah Amin Khan (now a hotel), Madrassah Muhammed Rahimkhan (now a museum of literature and history) and Madrassah Allakuli Khan (now a restaurant). We will also visit: - Kalte Minor; a large blue tower in the central city square - Kunya Ark (old fortress) - Juma Masjid - Pakhlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, the shrine of Khiva’s patron saint and the holiest site in Khiva. The interior displays an array of Khiva’s famed woodcarving, ceramic painted decoration, metalwork and inlay craft traditions. - Islam Khoja Minaret and Madrassah; the smallest madrassah in Khiva but the highest minaret at 57 metres - Tash Hovli Palace We'll attend United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) workshops for the development of local handicrafts. Here we’ll see tie-dyeing, carpet making, and wood carving. We’ll also visit a silk carpet workshop which is under UNESCO sponsorship. The workshop produces high-quality silk carpets and embroidered textiles using ancient designs from the Timurid dynasty, which were taken from floor tiles and doors in the city. Dinner and overnight in Khiva.

Today we travel to Bukhara by train. Located on the Silk Road, Bukhara is rich in historical sites and is Uzbekistan’s fifth largest city. The historic centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dinner and overnight in Bukhara.

On our tour of Bukhara, we’ll stop by colourful local markets where the Caravan Saray (trade domes) and former madrassahs offer splendid embroidery work, textiles, clothing, jewellery, carpets, costumes, spices and other Silk Road treasures. We will also visit: - Bukhara Artisan Development Centre - Chor Minor, an historic gatehouse for a now destroyed madrassah - Poi Kalyan complex: an Islamic religious complex centred around the Kalan minaret, which dominates the historic centre of the city - Ulugbeg Madrassah, today the museum of history of the restoration of the architectural monuments in Bukhara - Abdulazizkhan Madrassah, now the museum of woodcarving - Silk Market - Labi Hauz complex, the area surrounding one of the few remaining hauz (ponds) in the city. When they were used as water sources, these ponds were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s. The Labi Hauz complex survived because it is the centrepiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble - Bobokul’s workshop, where we’ll see the traditional way of producing and colouring silk   This evening we’ll dine at Akbar House, located in the historical Jewish quarter, where we’ll see a demonstration of cooking plov, a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices. We spend the night in Bukhara.

This morning we’ll take an excursion to Gijduvan. In ancient times, Gijduvan was known as a centre for handicrafts due to its proximity to the Silk Road. Caravans on the Silk Road stayed here overnight before continuing to India and China. Here we’ll take part in an embroidery workshop at Alisher Nazrullayev’s house before returning to Bukhara for a fashion show with herbal tea tasting.   Dinner and overnight in Bukhara.

Today is dedicated to learning about local suzani embroidery. The name is taken from the Persian word suzan, meaning needle. We’ll visit the house of Toshev Rakhmon Buranovich, a local master in this style of embroidery. We’ll also visit the gold embroidery factory in Bukhara, where carpets, curtains, chapans (quilted dressing gowns), head dresses, caskets, handbags, purses and shoes are made.   In the afternoon we’ll take an excursion to Sitori-I-Mokhi Khosa, the summer residence of the last emir of Bukhara. We’ll see the last emir’s collection of gifts, Chinese porcelain, Russian cut glass and crystal vases, as well as his rich collection of local suzani embroidery. Our final visit of the day is to Buyuk Yuli silk making factory.    Dinner and overnight in Bukhara.

Today we enjoy another hand-sewing workshop with our expert before travelling to Samarkand by train. Samarkand is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. The city prospered from its location on the Silk Road between China and the Mediterranean and in the 14th century became the capital of the empire of Tamerlane.  Dinner and overnight in Samarkand.

Our full day in Samarkand includes the following visits:  - Ragistan Square, the centrepiece of the city. There are three madrassahs framing the square, Madrassah Ulugbek, Madrassah Sher-Dor and Madrassah Tillya-Kori - Happy Bird Handicraft Centre, where we can meet with local artists and shop for souvenirs - Meros silk paper mill, restored by well-known masters the Mukhtarov brothers. Thanks to their efforts, an ancient tradition based on old Samarkand technologies has been revived. The production process is manual, and we’ll be able to observe this during our visit. The area surrounding the mill is picturesque, with shady trees, the Siab river and a small tea house serving delicious pilaf and fruits - Gur Emir Mausoleum, tomb of Tamerlane, his sons, and his grandsons Dinner and overnight in Samarkand.

We start the day with an excursion to Urgut bazaar, one of the few remaining traditional bazaars where people from the countryside sell their homemade produce. On our return to Samarkand we’ll visit: - The former family home of Avraham Kalantarov, a wealthy Jewish merchant. The building now houses a museum - El Merosi theatre of historical costumes - Aisha textile workshop, which is under the leadership of Valentina Romanenko and famous for the manufacture of natural silk fabrics. A large variety of products are presented here including contemporary works decorated with hand-embroidery, ancient costumes, traditional Uzbek suzani, and suits for evening and business wear Dinner and overnight in Samarkand.

During our final morning in Samarkand we’ll visit the Fine Art Museum of Samarkand, which houses a fine collection of textiles; Afrosiab Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the city; and Shakhi Zinda necropolis, the burial place of royal persons and nobles. In the afternoon we’ll return to Tashkent by train for dinner and overnight.

Time to say farewell to Uzbekistan as we travel to the airport for our return flight *Important Note: This tour involves some long coach journeys of up to 8 hours. A good degree of mobility is required due to the amount of walking involved on some of the visits.*