Description
Period: All year around
Individuals dates available on request
Group size: min 2-15 persons
The oldest Khorezm civilization in Central Asia arose in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River on the border with the Kyzylkum desert. Here the unique culture of the Khorezmians was born, rivaling Egypt and Babylon in its significance, leaving behind an irreplaceable legacy in the form of sand-filled cities and one of the world’s oldest religions – Zoroastrianism. It was in Khorezm that the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, the Avesta, was written, and in the 20th century, archaeologists discovered an ancient network of irrigation canals and city walls buried under the sand of Kyzylkum. In the Erikkala region of Karakalpakstan there are more than 200 ancient settlements, the largest and most famous of which are Toprak-kala and Ayaz-kala, which we will visit as part of this tour. The enchanted kingdom of silent ruins, ghostly walls and dilapidated towers on deserted weather-beaten hills attracts many lovers of hoary antiquity.
Additional information
We will also visit the capital of Karakalpakstan – the city of Nukus and its famous “Louvre in the Desert” – the State Museum of Art named after. I.V. Savitsky, known throughout the world for his unique collection of Russian avant-garde painting of the first half of the twentieth century.
Exclusions
- Cost of international flights;
- Entrance fees to monuments and museums;
- Cost of food not specified in the program;
- Medical costs and insurance.
- Alcohol and soft drinks;
Inclusions
- Meeting/seeing off at the airport at any time, group transfer airport – hotel – airport for each flight.
- Hotel accommodation in double rooms with breakfast.
- Group excursions with a guide according to the tour program.
- Comfortable, air-conditioned transport throughout the tour.
- 2 lunches according to the tour program.
- Mineral water for every day of the tour.
Accommodation
- Khiva Silk Road 3* / Shokh Jahon Hotel 3* or similar
- Nukus Jipek Zholy 3* or similar
Tour itinerary
Arrival in Urgench. Urgench – Khiva (40 km, 1 hour).
Meeting at the airport, group transfer to Khiva.
Hotel accommodation from 14:00. Free time without transport and excursion services.
Khiva is one of the main cities of ancient Khorezm and the only city of modern Uzbekistan where the medieval shakhristan, Ichan-Kala (“inner city”), has been completely preserved almost intact.
Overnight at the hotel.
Khiva (excursion).
Ichan Kale appears before us as a revived cityscape from an oriental fairy tale.
Excursion to Khiva (Ichan-Kale): Pakhlavan Mahmud complex, considered a place of pilgrimage; Fort Kunya-Akh – the heart of Ichan-Kale, the citadel of the ruler; and another “city within a city” – the Islamic chapel and minaret of Islam Kodzha – a symbol of the city. From the highest minaret in Khiva (56.6 m) there is a view of the entire city; Tash Khauli Palace is the main residence of the rulers of Khiva. Alakli Khan Madrasah – it houses the Avicenna Museum of the History of Medicine. Juma Mosque – 213 carved wooden columns, minaret; Madrasah of Muhammad Amin Khan is the largest madrasah in Khiva and one of the largest in Central Asia.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight at the hotel.
Khiva – Ayaz-Kala – Toprak-Kala – Nukus (180 km, 3 hours).
09:00 – Transfer to the ruins of the ancient fortress of Khorezm. Visit the Ayaz Kala fortress, a historical structure dating back to the Zoroastrian period (4th century BC). The entrance to the fortress, protected by a dangerous labyrinth, was built so that the south wind, which prevails in the area, could carry debris and dust out of the fortress. Hence the name of the fortress, which translates as “Fortress in the Wind.” Not far from Ayaz Kala, on a rock there is a small dilapidated fortress. It seems that it was separated from the main mass of buildings in the city.
Then we move on to one of the most outstanding monuments of Khorezm architecture – the Toprak-Kala fortress (I-IV centuries AD), which means “earth fortress”. Here you will see the streets of the ancient city, the square, the ruins of the temple of fire worshipers, and in the background – the ruined palace of the ruler. In the 1st century AD, Toprak Kala was a large city with a population of about 3,000 people and was the capital of one of the dynasties. During excavations, unique artifacts were discovered here, including well-preserved examples of ancient Khorezm writing.
Lunch on Lake Akhchakol.
After lunch, transfer to Nukus.
Meals: breakfast and lunch.
Overnight at the hotel.
Nukus – Muynak – Mizdakhan – Nukus (400 km, 7 hours).
09:00 – Transfer to Muynak (a former port city on the coast of the Aral Sea).
Monument to the victims of World War II (now a symbolic memorial dedicated to the Aral Sea) and a view of the city and the former seabed from the highest observation deck of Muynak. There was once water and a busy harbor here, but for more than 30 years the sea has not been visible from this point. The sea moved away from Muynak by 100-150 km.
Visit the “ship graveyard”. The moored ships were left standing in the harbor when the sea began to shallow at catastrophic speed. The port of Muynak has turned into a “ship graveyard”. The bare bottom of the Aral Sea is overgrown with saxaul – a full-fledged Aralkum desert (“Akum” = “white sand”). Next, visit the Muynak Museum of Culture to get acquainted with the works of artists depicting the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya River.
Lunch at a cafe.
Transfer to the Mizdakhkan necropolis (IV century BC – XIV century AD, XVII-XX centuries). This city cemetery is unique in that it contains burials from different periods, and the cemeteries of several religions calmly coexist with each other on one piece of land, surrounded by pious veneration. The necropolis occupies a vast territory and is located on three hills. There is also the “Tomb of Adam” and a mausoleum built on top of it, which is called the “World Clock”.
Excursions around Mizdakhakan: Erezhep-Khalif mausoleum, Jumart Kassab hill, Mazlumkhan-sulu mausoleum and Shamun Nabi mausoleum.
Return to Nukus.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Overnight at the hotel.
Nukus (excursion). Nukus – Khiva (180 km, 3 hours).
Nukus is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, part of Uzbekistan, and is a green oasis surrounded by three deserts: the sandy Karakum, Kizilkum and rocky desert plateau Ustil. Today, these three deserts have been joined by a fourth – the Aralkum Desert, where the bottom of the Aral Sea is exposed.
Visit the I.V. Museum Savitsky, world famous for its unique collection of Russian avant-garde painting of the first half of the 20th century. It is called the “Louvre Desert Museum”. There are about 9,000 exhibits on display here, including ancient Khorezm materials and objects of artistic culture, a collection of folk applied art from Karakalpak and the world’s second largest collection of Russian and Turkic avant-garde painting.
Transfer to Khiva. .
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight at the hotel.
Khiva – Urgench (40 km, 1 hour).
Group transfer from Khiva to Urgench airport.
Completion of the tour program.
Meals: breakfast.
Tour Map
Tour Gallery
Tour Price
2 person – $ 990 per person
For group the price is negotiated
Single room supplement $ 200
