Turkestan & Uzbekistan Tour

Meeting at Istanbul Airport's International Terminal. After completing ticket, passport, and baggage procedures, we'll board a Turkish Airlines flight to Turkistan. Upon arrival, we'll begin exploring Turkistan. Our first stop in Turkistan is the Tomb of Khoja Ahmet Yesevi. We honor the tomb of the Islamic scholar, who was also the mentor of Rumi and his father. Following this, we'll visit the Ancient Turkistan Settlement, the Old Cemetery, the Citadel, and the Halvet Underground Mosque. Afterward, we'll have dinner. Overnight at our Shymkent hotel.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Tashkent. After a pleasant drive across the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border, we begin our exploration of the capital, Tashkent, upon arrival. Tashkent, a very well-organized city with wide and clean streets, features the Keffal Shashi Mausoleum, the Barak Khan Madrasa, which now houses souvenir and handicraft workshops, the Hazret Imam Mosque, the original Quranic Mushaf in the Muyi Mubarak Madrasa, thought to date back to the time of Hazrat Osman. We also visit Emir Timur Khan Square and Istiklal Square. After visiting the Charsu Bazaar, a marketplace for 2,000 years, we have some free time. After this free time, dinner. Overnight at our hotel in Tashkent.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we'll fly to Urgench on a scheduled domestic flight. (The time and day of our domestic flight may vary depending on flight availability.) Upon arrival, we'll depart for Khiva. Today, we'll be in Khiva all day. After breakfast, we'll explore the streets of Khiva, the ancient capital of Khwarezm, and enter this fairytale city, located very close to the Turkmenistan border, through the main gate called Ata Darvaza. We'll see the Muhammad Emin Khan Madrasa, the Kalta Minar Minaret, the Old Ark Fortress, the Muhammad Rahim Khan Madrasa and the Museum of Khiva Khans, the Muhammad Emin İnak Madrasa and the Science Museum, the Allah Kulu Khan Stone Courtyard Palace and the Harem, the Friday Mosque and Minaret, and the Islam Hodja Madrasa and Minaret. We'll also see the Pehlivan Darvaza Gate and the Tomb of Pehlivan Mahmud, completing our Khiva tour. We'll have free time to shop and wander the historical streets of Khiva. Dinner after free time. Overnight at our Hive Hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel, we embark on an exciting journey. We pass through the Kyzyl Kum Desert and follow the Amu Darya River, also known as the Ceyhun River, towards Bukhara. Upon arrival in Bukhara, we visit the tombs of Seyyid Emir Külal and Bahaeddin Shah-i Naqshbandi, K.S., and their mothers, perhaps the most exceptional highlight of our Bukhara trip. After completing our visits, we have dinner. Tonight, we'll be in Bukhara.

After breakfast at the hotel, we'll visit Bukhara, one of the most important stops on the historical Silk Road, including the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the Fountain and Tomb of the Prophet Eyüp, the Bolo Havuz Mosque, the Ark Fortress, the Poyi Kalan Complex, the Kalan Minaret, the Mir Arab Madrasa, the Juma Mosque, the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, the Abdüzaziz Khan Madrasa, the Magaki Attari Mosque, the Nadir Divan Begi Madrasa, and the Char Minar. We'll also explore the Silk Road bazaars selling souvenirs and do some shopping. After completing our Bukhara tour, we'll depart for Samarkand by bus. Along the way, we'll visit the tombs of some of the Seven Pirs, prominent figures in Islamic Sufism. In the town of Gujduvan, we'll visit Abdulkhalik Gujduvani, Arif Rivgeri, and Mahmud Incir Fagnevi, before arriving in Samarkand. Dinner and overnight stay will be in Samarkand.

After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our city tour. In Samarkand, we first visit Gur-i Emir (the tomb of Emir Timur Khan). Afterwards, we visit Registan Square and the Ulugh Beg, Tilla Qari, and Shirdar madrasahs located there. We visit the Bibi Khanum Mosque. We then move on to the Shah-i Zinde cemetery complex, where we visit the tomb of Qusam ibn Abbas, the Prophet's cousin. We then visit the Ulugh Beg Observatory and the tombs of Imam Maturidi and Khwaja Ubeydullah-i Ahrar. After completing our Samarkand tours, we have dinner. Tonight, we will be in Samarkand.

Transfer to Samarkand Airport three hours before departure. Depart for Istanbul on a scheduled Turkish Airlines flight. This is the end of our enjoyable tour.