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Heroes and Heroines Tashkent's Bazaar
Wander through Tashkent’s colourful bazaar for a wonderful insight into daily life.
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Our Team Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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Our Tour Experts We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
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Heroes and Heroines The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.
Highlights of Uzbekistan
This comprehensive holiday to Uzbekistan takes in the silk road cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.
Key Highlights of this Itinerary
1
2Registan Square
Visit the awe-inspiring restored madrasas standing on three sides of Registan Square in Samarkand.
3Sacred Bukhara
Visit craft workshops in Bukhara where skilled artisans make knives, carpets and gold silk embroidery.
4UNESCO City of Khiva
Explore the city of Khiva, a UNESCO protected site and perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all the Silk Road cities.
Why we like it
For a thousand years, the Silk Route, the greatest land-based trading highway the world has seen, wound its way from China, through Central Asia to Europe. Today, it is the independent state of Uzbekistan that contains some of the most interesting sites and this trip is designed to visit the great cities that survive from this legendary era. We would highly recommend an extension into less visited regions such as the Fergana Valley or even onto one of its neighbouring ‘Stans’ – Kyrgyzstan is home to some magnificent scenery and is visa free.
Day 1
Tashkent
Day 2
Tashkent
Day 3
Tashkent - Samarkand
Day 4
Samarkand
Day 5
Samarkand - Bukhara
Day 6 - 7
Bukhara
Day 8
Bukhara - Khiva
Day 9
Khiva - Urgench - Tashkent
Day 10
Tashkent
Day 1
Tashkent
Day 2
Tashkent
Wander through Tashkent’s colourful bazaar for a wonderful insight into daily life.
Day 3
Tashkent - Samarkand
Day 4
Samarkand
Visit the awe-inspiring restored madrasas standing on three sides of Registan Square.
Day 5
Samarkand - Bukhara
Day 6 - 7
Bukhara
Visit craft workshops in Bukhara where skilled artisans make knives, carpets and gold silk embroidery.
Day 8
Bukhara - Khiva
Explore the city of Khiva, a UNESCO protected site and perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all the Silk Road cities.
Day 9
Khiva - Urgench - Tashkent
Day 10
Tashkent
More details
Samarkand and Registan Square
Arrive by train into the evocative city of Samarkand, which survived the arrival of Islam, the havoc of the Mongolian hordes and then flowered under the rule of Tamerlane. Inextricably linked with the silk route it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to one of Uzbekistan’s most iconic sites, Registan Square.
Arguably the most spectacular architectural ensemble in Central Asia, the square is surrounded by three beautifully restored Madrasas and was built by the famous 15th century astronomer and Timurid ruler, Ulugh Beg. The square was originally used for public gatherings, which ranged from public executions to royal decrees.
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Artisans and Architecture of Bukhara
The atmospheric old centre of Bukhara is full of madrasas and minarets. It was the beauty of the Kalyan minaret that saved it from being destroyed by Ghengis Khan in 1220 when the rest of the city was razed to the ground. The former capital is a centre of Islamic learning and has over 300 mosques. This, along with the city’s 80 madrasas, led to its reputation as the holiest city in Central Asia. Amidst the turquoise domes and minarets are many tea houses, carpet sellers and stalls where skilled artisans create and trade their wares. Silk embroidery and carpets are just two of the crafts for which Bukhara is known and you will have time to wander among the small shops taking tea and conversing with the locals.
UNESCO City of Khiva
Destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, Khiva was the first place in Uzbekistan to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, and is one of the most complete and best-preserved on the ancient Silk Road. Founded when water was discovered in the desert, Khiva’s importance as a well-placed oasis meant that it outlived the era of the Silk Road and remained powerful until the time of ‘The Great Game’.
It was here, in 1840, that Richmond Shakespear, a young British lieutenant, helped abolish the practice of capturing Russian slaves. In fact, due to much of the work done during Soviet times, Khiva’s monuments are in outstanding condition. The most famous of these, the Ichan Qala, is preserved as an open-air museum.
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Fergana Valley
A wonderful addition is to extend your trip and travel into the Fergana Valley. This inland basin is fed from streams and rivers from the surrounding mountains making it an extremely fertile region and home to some exceptional crafts. Far less visited than the rest of the country, it is famed for its silk production and was a pivotal area on the ancient silk route.
Let’s chat
A note on price
Prices will vary depending on the time of year you are travelling. Prices do not include international flights. Please ask one of our Travel Experts for an accurate quote. Flights purchased through Steppes Travel departing from the UK are ATOL protected.
This Itinerary
Price
From £1,500 Per person
When to travel
From dry, hot summers to freezing, bitter cold winters, Uzbekistan has two periods when is best to visit. July and August are the hottest months while April to early June and September to early November see pleasant day time temperatures. Winter can be extremely cold in Uzbekistan.
Holiday Inspiration
Our experts have created and curated these tailor-made holiday ideas to get you started. Take the time to search through them and find something that is the spark for your unique adventure.
Why Choose Steppes?
These may be uncertain times but they are, without a doubt, still full of opportunity to discover the extraordinary safely. Through knowledge and expertise, we can connect you to those destinations embracing travellers with the added confidence of flexible booking and decades of insight.
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