Wednesday, April 1st: ISTANBUL - TASHKENT
Meeting at 15:15 in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal. Departure to Tashkent at 18:15 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 370, according to flight details suggested by Anatolian Culture.
Thursday, April 2: Tashkent
Arrival at 00:50 local time. Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel. After breakfast, tour of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia: Emir Timur Square, Independence Square, Barak Khan Madrasa, Tashkent Metro, Museum of Applied Arts, Folk Market, and the Kefeli-Shash (Kafalı Shashi) Mausoleum. Lunch and dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Friday, April 3: TASHKENT - NUKUS - HIVA (road only 170 km / 3 hours)
Morning transfer to Tashkent Airport. Departure at 07:15 on Uzbekistan Airways flight THY 11 to Nukus. Arrival at 08:55. Meeting at the airport. Tour of Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan Province: Art Museum named after archaeologist, artist and collector Igor Savitsky, statue of the poet Berdakh, city hall and theater buildings. Lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon departure to Khiva. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Saturday, April 4th: HIVA
Visit to Khiva, the capital of the Timurid Dynasty and a UNESCO World Heritage site: tour of the Ishan Kala (Old City) surrounded by mud-brick walls, the Friday Mosque, the Kelte Minar, the Old Ark, and the Stone Courtyard Palace. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Mausoleum of Pehlivan Mahmud, the "Hercules of the East," and the mausoleums of the Khiva Khans next to it. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Sunday, April 5th: Khiva - Bukhara
Morning transfer to Urgench Airport. Departure at 09:20 on Uzbekistan Airways flight HY 52 to Bukhara. Arrival in Bukhara at 10:10. Tour of Bukhara, a UNESCO World Heritage site: Bala Hawqah Mosque with its ornate ceiling, the Tomb of Job (who is said to have drawn water from dry earth with his staff), the Tomb of Ismail Samani (Bukhara's oldest architectural masterpiece with its dazzling decorations), the Kalyan Minaret and Friday Mosque (symbols of Bukhara), the Mir-i Arab Madrasa (exterior view), and the Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz Khan Madrasas. Lunch and dinner at a local restaurant. Folkloric performance at the Nadir Divanbey Madrasa. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Monday, April 6: BUKHARA - SAMARKAND
Morning tour of Ark Fortress (inner fortress), the winter palace of the Bukhara Khans. After lunch at a local restaurant, departure at 15:50 on the Afrosiab high-speed train to Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrival in Samarkand at 17:24. Visit to the Gur Emir Mausoleum (the tomb of Timur and his family). Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Tuesday, April 7: SAMARKAND - TASHKENT
Full-day city tour of Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage site: Visit Recistan Square, home to one of the most beautiful mosque complexes in the Islamic world and Central Asia; the Ulugh Beg, Shir-Dar (Lion's Palace), and Tilla Kari (Tilyekari) madrasas built on three sides of the square; the Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by Timur with the desire to create one of the most beautiful mosques in the world; and the city bazaar right next to it. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Afrazyab Museum and the Shah-i Zinda Mausoleum. In the evening, departure to Tashkent by high-speed train. Dinner at a local restaurant followed by transfer to Tashkent Airport.
Wednesday, April 8: Tashkent - Istanbul
According to flight details suggested by Anatolian Culture, departure to Istanbul is at 02:30 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 371. Arrival is at 05:45 local time.
