Visit of Khiva & Nukus
Name of tour: Visit of Khiva & Nukus
Duration: 5 days & 4 nights
Day 1: Tashkent
As you land at the airport your guide will take you to Tashken, the capital city of Uzbekistan. The entire day will be devoted to travelling in a city. You will go to the main square of Independence which was built to signify the Victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War. Also you will get to walk along the local Broadway which is located between independence square and square of Amir Timur. After that you can take a famous metro of Tashkent which is considered to be one of the most beautiful subways in the world. IT was built in 1977. The old parts of the city are what you visit next. It includes Chorsu Bazaar, Kukaldash Madrasahs, several madrasahs, mosques, and mausoleums within the complex of Hast Imam. The latter features the world’s oldest copy of the Quran which dates back to the XIII century. It was a property of Othman Ibn Affan who was the Third Caliph out of four righteous Caliphs who were successors of the prophet Muhammad. He was killed in the VIII century by nonmuslims. His blood can still be seen on the pages of the Quran. The night is in the hotel.
Day 2: Tashkent – Nukus
You will take a flight to Nukus early in the morning. The day will fully be devoted to a city tour. You will witness the masterpieces of forbidden art in the museum of Savitsky. The museum features a collection of russian avant-garde paintings from the 20th century, works of Sokolov Komarovskiy and Amaravella. The museum also has a collection of banned works of the artists who were persecuted by the soviet government. Curator of the museum purchased them in the early 1960s. We continue travelling our tour outside of Nurkus. We will drive to visit Mizdakhan necropolis which once was a city. Finding from this area confirmed the fact that this place was inhabited in the time period of 4th to 14th century AD. You will also get to see Chilpyk which is an ancient zoroastrian monument that dates back to second century BC. Overnight is in the hotel.
Day 3: Nukus – Ayaz Qala – Tuprak Qala – Khiva
Our final destination for the day is the most ancient city of Uzbekistan, Khiva. It has a rich history and fascinating sites. Its history ties to the state of Khorezmshah. The capital of the latter was once in Urgench. In the 10th century Khiva was one of the important cities on the Great Silk Road. It was an intermediary point for many merchants with their caravans to stop on their way to China and back. The endless flow of caravans went through the city all day long. This unique city is well preserved and is to be passed to next generations. Before we reach our destination, we will make a few stops at famous fortresses of Ayaz Qala and Turpak Qala. The first one is a castle of Khorezm built in the name of famous warrior-slave Ayaz. Ayaz is a hero of turkic folklore. The castle was built in the 2nd century AD. The fortress of Turpak Qala, the name of which means a “clay fort”, was the city of Khorezmian ruler. The fortress is proven to be built in about the same era as the previous one, in the 1-2 centuries AD. The fortress was abandoned in the 6th century after numerous wars and invasions that exhausted the city and left it with no single sign of life. After sightseeing we continue our way to Khiva. Overnight is in the hotel.
Day 4: Khiva – Tashkent
You take a flight to Tashkent in the morning. The day will be devoted to a guided tour of the city. Courage Monument is the first site to be traveled to. This memorial complex was erected to honor the elimination of consequences of the earthquake that took place in Tashkent. The next stop is Zangi Ota memorial complex. There are legends about a shepherd Zangi Ota who was praised for his wisdom and good will. You will also get to see the State Museum of Timurids’ history. The museum accounts for more than 3000 different items of jewelry, musical instruments, weaponry, coins of the past. It also has an interesting inventory of works of art, historical documents, and manuscripts that are relevant to the Timurids’ period. State Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan rounds up our city tour. The museum has a number of interesting exhibits: glasses, national clothing, fabrics, carpets, woodcarving.
You will be staying in a hotel.
Day 5: Flight
Transfer to the airport is in the morning.