Rishton, Kokand, Samarkand and Khiva: 10-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Fergana or Namangan, meeting at the airport and transfer to Kokand. First acquaintance with the city that was once an important point on the Great Silk Road and the capital of a khanate — here there were once about 40 madrasahs and more than 300 mosques. Accommodation at the hotel, night in Kokand.

2. Day 2

   The main impression of this day is the blue ceramics of Rishton: transfer to the city of potters, acquaintance with the masters and a demonstration of how dishes are born from clay. After returning to Kokand — a tour of the city: the Khudoyar Khan Palace, the Madari Khan Mausoleum with white ganch, the Jami Mosque with elm columns and the Dahma-i-Shahon necropolis. The day is dense, but with frequent stops to examine details.

3. Day 3

   A day of transfer: the road to Tashkent through the Kamchik mountain pass (2285 m). Through this pass runs the main route connecting the capital with the Fergana Valley — for the country it plays a key role. In Tashkent, accommodation at the hotel and free time to rest after the road and walk around the city on one's own.

4. Day 4

   Tashkent opens from the side of the Old City: Hast-Imam Square, where the original manuscript of the Uthman Quran is kept, the Barak Khan Madrasah and the Kafal-al-Shashi Mazar Mausoleum. A separate impression is the Chorsu Bazaar under a huge dome and lunch at the Central Asian Plov Center "Besh Qozon": there, in huge cauldrons, tons of plov are cooked daily. Then transfer to Samarkand, the capital of ancient Sogdiana.

5. Day 5

   A whole day in Samarkand — the city that was the capital of Tamerlane's empire and the heart of caravan trade. The main impressions: Registan Square with three madrasahs, the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the Bibi-Khanym Cathedral Mosque and the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble of 11 medieval mausoleums. A few more stops — the Siab Bazaar and the Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum with a fragment of a giant sextant. The pace is measured, the whole day is devoted to one city.

6. Day 6

   Transfer to Gijduvon, where in the house of the Narzullayev family one can see how the pottery school works: from molding to firing and painting. Lunch in the house of the potters with a tasting of Gijduvon kebabs. Then Bukhara — a city with more than 140 architectural monuments, among which are the Kalyan Minaret and the Ark Fortress. The excursion to the suburban sites begins with the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace, and after accommodation — a walk through the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble and the trading quarter of covered bazaars.

7. Day 7

   Continued acquaintance with Bukhara: the Samanid Mausoleum, the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, the Bolo-Hauz complex with 20 carved columns, the Ark Fortress and the Poi-Kalyan complex. Worthy of separate mention are the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah with rich ornaments and the austere Ulugh Beg Madrasah. This day is about details and patterns, it requires attention, but not haste.

8. Day 8

   A long transfer to Khiva through the Kyzylkum Desert along the Amu Darya River — the same road along which caravans of the Silk Road once walked. Several stops to stroll over the dunes and see the Amu Darya — one of the largest rivers of the region. Upon arrival — a walk through Itchan Kala, the inner part of the Old Khiva, surrounded by a fortress wall. The day is a travel day, but with strong impressions from the landscape.

9. Day 9

   Khiva, which is more than 2500 years old, appears as a medieval city almost untouched by time. Excursion through Itchan Kala: the Pakhlavan Mahmud complex, the Kunya-Ark Fortress, the Islam Khodja Madrasah and Minaret — the highest minaret of Khiva (56.6 m). A few more stops — the Tash Hauli Palace, the Allakuli Khan Madrasah with the Avicenna Museum of the History of Medicine, the Juma Mosque with 213 carved columns and the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah. The day is rich, but the city is small, and everything is nearby.

10. Day 10

    Group transfer from Khiva to Urgench airport and completion of the program. A day of farewell to Uzbekistan, without excursions — only the road and the flight home.