Cities of Uzbekistan

The Republic of Uzbekistan lies in the heart of Asia, in the territory known since ancient times as Bactria, Maverannahr, and later on as Turkestan. The most powerful Kushan Empire and the Kingdom of Seleucids, the Parthian Kingdom and the Kingdom of Khorazm, the states of Samanids and Amir Temur (Tamerlane), the Bukhara Emirate and Qoqan Khanate once flourished in this region. Many centuries ago, the civilization that existed here gave life to many famous scientists, philosophers, poets and doctors, many of whose output is still used by many intellectuals around the world. The cities of Samarkand and Bukhara served as major centers of trade and enlightenment on the crossroads of the Great Silk Road linking the civilizations of the East and the West.

Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, has been given a new, but unofficial name in modern history – the Star of the East. It has been taken from the song with the same name and bears an amazing resemblance with the appearance and spirit of the town, a symbolic depiction of the life of its citizens and its guests who pass through. Tashkent is home to more than 100 nationalities amounting to 2, 2 million people.

Places of interest. There is a series of special sight-seeing tours where guests can see and experience the harmonic combination of modern architecture with historical monuments.
Kukeldash madrassah built in the 16th century, the Kafalla Shoshiy mausoleum also from the 16th century, the Muyi Mubarak and Barokkhan madrassahs, the Tillya-Shah mosque and the Shaikh Zainiddin Bobo (13th – 14th century). The variety of museums such as the museum of the history of the Temurides, the museum of applied arts provides a rich cultural and historic legacy.

Samarkand, since ancient times, was a major centre in Central Asia, connecting East and West, North and South, Serving as one of the major centres on the Greate Silk Road. “Everything that I have heard about the beauty of Samarkand is correct but actually it is even more beautiful than I imagined”. These words are ascribed to Alexander the Great who stopped in Samarkand during his Indian march. Amir Temur, the conqueror of Central Asia, chose Samarkand as the capital of his huge empire. There he collected fabulous treasures and brought architects from all the COUNTRIES he conquered. In those times magnificent palaces, mausoleums, mosques and madrassahs were built. Every stone in Samarkand seems to breathe legend.

Places of interest Among the buildings of Temur’s reign is the majestic Gur-Amir mausoleum and Shahi Zinda group of mausoleums. The centre of Samarkand is an original square – the Registan (15th century) which means “sandy spot”. It is a large flagstone square surrounded with minarets and madrassehs. One of it (minaret of Ulugbek, Amir Temur’s grandson) had stood inclined like the tower of Pisa for several centuries and could collapse at any moment. The Ulugbek museum was built near the unique observatory with gigantic sextant where Ulugbek, famous astronomer and mathematician, carried out his observations. The mosque of Bibi-Khanym is considered all but the grandest structure of the times of the Temurides in Samarkand.

Bukhara. Not much time has passed since Bukhara celebrated its 2500th anniversary. “Blessed”, “Holy”, “Heavenly”– these are but a few epithets which extolled Bukhara where culture, science and art have flourished throughout centuries. It is the only town in Central Asia where the flavor of the East has been preserved intact; it is a town-museum with about 140 architectural monuments dating back to the Middle Ages. The most ancient masterpieces were constructed in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Places of interest. The mausoleum of Ismail Samani (the Samanid Dynasty’s founder) is a masterpiece of classical Eastern architecture.
The Poi-Kalan architectural ensemble (12 – 16th centuries) adorns the centre of the old Bukhara. Its 50 metre-tall minaret, decorated with unique patterns, towers over the town in all its grandeur and splendour.
Light-blue cupolas of the Chor-Minor madrassah and the Ark Citadel can be seen from afar. The ancient structures preserved in Central Asia from 15th century to this day are the Ulugbek and Kukeldash madrassahs, while the crooked streets in the outskirts of the town have retained the exotic colour of the olden times.

Khiva has preserved much of its old appearance: narrow streets, mud walls, covered bazzars, ancient graveyards in the middle of the town. Archeological finds show that Khiva existed as far back as the 6-8th centuries. It was the capital of the Khiva Khanate in the 16th century.

Places of interest. The Shirgazikhan madrassah, dark with time, stands in one of the narrow streets. Adjacent to it is the Khan’s mausoleum. A marble plate bears the inscription in Arabic: “Cry at the hand of the slave”. Legend says that the Khan wanted the madrassah to be built as quickly as possible. He promised the slaves freedom as soon as it was finished. But when the madrassah was completed he went back on his word and did not free a single one of the 1, 500 slaves. The deceived men tore the Khan to pieces.
Opposite the madrassah there is the mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud. It is a masterpiece of Khivan architecture.
The 220-foot Kuk-Minor (Green Minaret) is decorated in peculiar, intricate design.

In Sanskrit word, Bukhara signifies"monastery" and this city was once a large commercial centre on the Great Silk Road. Bukhara was already considered an important cultural and trade centre, which in fact determined the dramatism of the city's historical fate.
Bukhara with more than 140 architectural monuments is a"town museum" dating back to the Middle Ages. 2, 300 years later, ensembles like the Poi-Kalian, Kos Madras, Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Kalian Minaret are attracting a lot of attention.
For instance, the Ismail Samani mausoleum is the oldest monument in Bukhara. It was built by Ismail Samani, one of the ruler of the Samanid dynasty. The grey building mausoleum is made of bake bricks ornamentally were laid, so the ornamentation is never the same when light shines upon it.
Tourists will be delighted to know that the Fortress Ark citadel used to house the residence of the emir and is now a museum. Opposite the Ark stands the Bolo-khaus complex of the twentieth century which has survived to this day.
The history of Bukhara is more astonishing than the rest of the cities. The Bukhara oasis of Soghdiana was once conquered by the Great Alexander and Bukhara was also once ruled by the Kushan Empire and later a part of the Eftalist Rein, too. But when Samanids got hold of Bukhara, they created a large feudal state and Bukhara was made the capital.
The 1 Oth century sees Bukhara more of a scientific and cultural centre Famous poets like Narashashi, Rudaki and Dakiki and scientist Avicenna were well known in Bukhara as they played important roles in the development of the country.
The end of the 10th century saw Bukhara under the Karahanids Reign Monuments like the Magoki-Attani, Namaz-doh mosque and Chashma-Ajub were witnesses to this particular period From 1318-1389, Bukhara had a great religious leader by the name of Sheikh Bahautdin Nakshbandi His kind of faith, Nakshbandism became one of the kind of suphism Suphism at that time was spreading round the Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, India, the Eastern Turkestan and Caucasus area By the 15th century, Bukhara was part of the Sheibanids State It was becoming more important and many Moslem monuments like the madrasahs, hanakis and mosques were created at that time and played significant role in spreading the Moslem religion The Madrasah Mm-Arab (1536) was built in this era.
The Sitorai-Machi-Khosa palace was the country residence of the last emir. The 20th century saw a new modem city built close to the ancient one. The new city has wide prospects, green parks, fountains, hotels and colourful Eastern bazaars. There were many bazaars in ancient Bukhara, and one of them, Lyabi-Khauz bazaar (16-17 century) has been preserved up to this day. Tourists are often attracted to the articles made with golden embroidery, silk clothes and chasing sold at the Bazaar.
Today, Bukhara is a more industrialized city in Uzbekistan. The Kara-Kul (astrakhan fur) factory is well known internationally and supplies goods to other countries. Other than furs, Bukhara is also known for its ancient folk crafts especially embroideries in gold and silk. A TRIP to Bukhara will leave you feeling immersed and yet equally amazed with the exotic aura of the city.

Ferghana is situated at the southern part of the fertile Ferghana Valley. The Valley resembles that of an enormous bowl framed by mountain ridges. Having a milder climate gave Ferghana the edge to produce some very famous fruits and the luscious pomegranates that are tempting palates all over the world.
Ferghana was founded slightly over a century ago and is one of the modem centres in Uzbekistan. Besides the agricultural aspects, Ferghana is also famous for producing delicate hand painted pottery and glasses as gifts and souvenirs. It is also widely known for its local man-made fabric and is surrounded by cities and towns dating back to nearly one thousand years in history.
Situated 12 km from Ferghana, is Margelan city. This city was very famous for producing silks and carpets in olden days. The Margelan caravans would carry the silks and carpets through the Great Silk Road, Arab COUNTRIES and Europe. Today, Margelan has one of the country's largest silk mill targetted for international markets.
Ferghana is a green city with streets lined with shady plane trees, poplars and acacias and numerous parks and gardens with flower beds and fountains.
Besides silks, Ferghana is also well known for its lovely flora and fauna. Tourist visiting Ferghana can visit the mountain region of Shahimardon for some clean, cool fresh air. Many people in Ferghana like to spend their summer weekends in Khamzaabad town in Shahimardon. A narrow concrete stairway leads to a ledge on which stands the white mausoleum of Khamza Khakim-zade Niyazi, an outstanding Uzbek poet and dramatist.
Another tourist attraction is Kokand. The distance between Ferghana and this ancient city is 86 km. While on the way to Kokand, be sure to visit the ancient village of Ristan, famous for its hand painted blue pottery works. Their jugs, plates and teapots are made of a special kind of clay and it rings like a bell everytime at the flick of a finger.
You could also visit the nearby Andijan and Namangan areas. So, if you're ever tired of the bustling city life, Ferghana would be the ideal get-away for some peace and tranquility.

Full day tour includes the Khanatlas Silk factory at Marghilan, where you can see beautiful hand made ornaments and embroideries. We also visit the CENTRAL mosque & bazaar. Later tour Andijan, birthplace of Babur the founder of the Moghul dynasty that ruled India and built the Ta) Mahal, Shalimar Gardens and the many forts and palaces. We also visit the Babur Literary Museum.

This is the largest province in Uzbekistan-it has been named after the Black Hat People. It is an autonomous region and the people speak their own language, which is more closer to Turkic than Uzbek. It used to be part of the Khanate of Khiva and during the Soviet rule it was governed as part of Kazakstan. There are lots of camels and we get a thrilling, often painful, experience as we go into the desert on camelback.

A one-time capital of the Kokand Khanate, It was known for its very strong religious base and thus had over 35 medressas and hundreds of mosques. Kokand is a transit stop in our programs and we visit the museum-fort of the last Ruler-Khodayor Khan, Sahib Mian Hazrta Medressa and the Khamza Museum.

Records show of habitants dating back to at least ist century BC. A well-known place for trading, it offers a well-stocked and interesting bazaar. Our tour will also include the silk factories - where the famous Central Asian silks originate.

Timur Taragai Tamerlan was born in the village near this city. This city combined the modern and ancient, industry and crafts preserved in the monuments, dwellings and in architecture.
Ak-Sarai Palace - with only two pylons of the entrance arch and a small fragment of wall to survive, still they impress with the volume and height of the building. The cave of Tamerlan is a fabulous natural and historical object.