Program #3 (Turkmen Part)

Duration: 7 days/6 nights
Route: Khiva - Dashoguz border - Dashoguz - Kunya-Urgench - Ashgabat - Mary - Turkmenabat - Farab border - Bukhara

Day 1. Khiva - Dashoguz border - Kunya-Urgench - Dashoguz - Ashgabat by air

Morning meeting at Shavat/Dashoguz (border).Arriving.Customs procedure. Trip to Kunya-Urgench-sightseeing . At the beginning of the 1st century AD the Chinese sources mentioned the city of Yue-gan which is identified with city of Gurgench or Urgench. It relates to Khorezm according to the ancient and medieval geographic conceptions. In the later period this city is mentioned in connection with the most important political events. Kunya Urgench had been destroyed and rebuilt several times. And at last, the city was miraculously revived by trade that had been united into the lands of the Golden Horde and by 1366 had become” the largest, greatest, most beautiful and most important city of Turks”, a city that “shakes under the weight of its population. Ibn Battuta continues to describe a city so busy that a man could not move in the throng. The Arab, Persian historians, geographers and travellers left enormous information about Kunya Urgench.

Upon arrival we start our program with visiting:

• Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum – 1172-1200y. – mausoleum presents semicubic erection, crowned with the high conic cupola.
• Turebek Khanum Mausolum – Turebek Khanum wife of the Urgench governor Kutlug Temur.
• Mausoleum of Najmitdin Kubra and Sultan Ali
• Kutlug Timur Minaret – 60m in height the minaret was built in 1320-1330 by golden horde khan Kutlug Timur.

Drive to Dashoguz. Night flight to Ashgabat. Arrival. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.

Day 2. Full day in Ashgabat

Morning proceed to:

Nisa - residence of Parthian Kings(III BC-III AD) In the IV century BC Akhemenid Empire had been ruined with the strikes of Alexander’s troops. During the period of the Selevkids-the successors of Alexander, three independent States established: Bactria, Khorezm and Parthia. Among these three states Parthia had lived for a long time, from 3rd century BC till 3rd century AD. During its existence Parthia has had several capital cities. Among the capitals of Parthia Nisa was a legendary and mysterious city in the Kingdom of Parthia.

• National History Museum
• Monument of Independence

Further visit

Turkmen Carpet Museum Archeological data places carpet making on the territory of Turkmenistan as early as the 6th century B.C. The remains of a carpet which archeologists found in the 1940's at Altai are two-thousand five hundred years old. Research shows that the design is very similar to the carpets of today.

It took centuries for these designs to develop, and the decoration of the carpets is extremely original, reflecting stylized articles of the real world surrounding nomadic livestock-breeders. Ornaments are geometric, and love of deep, rich red is an artistic tradition of the carpets.

• Arch of Neutrality
• Square of Independence
• New Park dedicated to the monument of Akhalteke horses nearby President Palace & Congress Hall.

Same day we’ll visit Seitjemal et Din ruined mosque.

Transfer to hotel. Overnight.

Day 3. Half day in Ashgabat. Flight Ashgabat - Turkmenbashy

Today we’ll have half day city sightseeing tour in Ashgabat which includes:

visit New Ruhy Mosque in Kipchak & Russian fruit & vegetable market - No matter how comfortable and accessible modern supermarkets are, the majority numbers of the citizen of the Turkmen capital still do shopping at bazaars. Its natural that exotic Asian assortment from the Turkmen fields and vegetable gardens is on sale here. Melons pomegranates, grapes, dried fruits and vegetables are sold all year round.

Tempting smell leads better that any guide-book to the fast food counters. Golden pastries are fried here, juicy manty are on sale, and wonderful drink, camel chal (fermented drink made of camel’s milk) is offered. A little further, the smoke over braziers indicates the place where fragrant mutton shish kebab is cooked.

The rhythm of life at the market adds a positive tone to the human mood.

Transfer to the airport to catch a domestic flight to Turkmenbashy (the former Krasnovodsk)

Flight check in

Leave for Turkmenbashy by Turkmenistan Airlines in the evening Upon arrival meeting & transfer to hotel .Accommodation at hotel and rest. Overnight

Day 4. Full day in Turkmenbashy

Full day in Turkmenbashy city includes: Panoramic city tour around the city: Turkmenbashy city is 654km from the capital of Turkmenistan with population of about 70.000. It is situated on the Caspian Sea and has some magnificent sandy beaches. One hundred twenty six years ago Colonel N.G.Stoletov founded a town which he named «Krasnovodsk». It became the administrative centre of the Caspian region and retained that status until 1917.

• Visit of local history museum. Also we will organize a trip to relax at the Caspian Sea coast.
• Visit local fish market.

Return to hotel

Day 5. Half day in Ashgabat. Flight Ashgabat-Turkmenbashy

In the morning relax.

Before to catch a flight to Ashgabat from Turkmenbashy we offer foreigners to visit a monument dedicated to Japanese prisoners of World War II,who lived & built roads & houses in Krasnovodsk.After World War II they were 1906 in number & 61 of them were buried in the cemetery.

Transfer to the airport to catch a domestic flight to Ashgabat by evening flight
Upon arrival transfer to hotel.

Transfer to hotel.

Day 6. Flight Ashgabat - Mary. Full day in Mary - Old Merv ruins

Early transfer to the airport
Flight to Mary. Arriving to Mary.

Arriving, full day sightseeing of Old Merv. Merv reaches its highpoint of development at Seljuk period, especially during the government of Sultan Sanjar (1118-1157) who made it the capital of Seljuk state. During the period of Seljuks large buildings were built in Merv and its area reached 1500-1800ha. It considerably exceeded in size not only such famous cities of the Near East such as Damascus, Haleb, Jerusalem, but also large cities of West Europe of the XII and the beginning of the XIV centuries such as Paris, Bologna, Milan Naples, etc. Sultan Kala (fortress of Sultans) enclosed with the fortress walls at Melik-shah (1072-1092) corresponds to the cities of this period.

• Soltan Sanjar Mausoleum
• Small and Large Gyz-kala
• Ibn-Zeid Mausoleum, Sardoba
• Erk-kala & Giaur-kala

Afternoon visit continues:

Visit local history museum is a two-storeyed building located in the former house of a merchant in the city centre which was built in 1895. There are three exposition halls such as archeological where artifacts found in the Ancient Merv and Margush on display; ethnographic known as the «The materials of the Turkmen culture and traditions of XIX century», and Marv is a region where representatives of different nationalities had lived from past to present days. The third exposition hall contains exhibits the history and culture of the Russian, Ukrainian, German and Beludge people as well.

Transfer to hotel.

Day 7. Drive Mary - Turkmenabat - Farab border

Today morning we road to Farab border 300km via Turkmenabat.
Then proceed to Turkmen-Uzbek border FARAB. Hand over to Uzbek Partner at 16:00