Women-Only Uzbekistan Tour with Nerazen — Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva | Direct Flight with Turkish Airlines | Silk Road Cultural Route

Flight: TK 366 | Istanbul (IST) 07:15 → Tashkent (TAS) 13:55

Our journey begins with a meeting in front of the Turkish Airlines counters at the International Departures Terminal of Istanbul Airport. After check-in and passport control procedures, we depart for Tashkent on flight TK 366 at 07:15. After an approximately 4.5-hour flight, we arrive at Tashkent International Airport at 13:55.

Following airport greeting and transfer, we begin our panoramic city tour of Tashkent. At the Hast Imam Complex, the historical and spiritual center of the city, we visit the Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum, Barak Khan Madrasah, Hazrat Imam Mosque, and Muyi Mubarak Madrasah. At Muyi Mubarak Madrasah, we see the handwritten Mushaf attributed to Caliph Uthman (r.a.), considered one of the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world.

The tour continues with visits to Amir Timur Square and Independence Square, which symbolize modern Tashkent. Free time is given at the Chorsu Bazaar, which has been the heart of regional trade for centuries. At the end of the day, we enjoy a tasting of traditional Uzbek plov at a local restaurant and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Tashkent.

Transportation: High-speed train, approximately 2 hours (subject to availability)

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the train station takes place. Following a comfortable journey of approximately 2 hours by high-speed train, arrival in Samarkand, the capital of the Timurid Empire, is achieved.

The city tour begins with the Gur-i Emir Mausoleum, where the tombs of Emir Timur (Tamerlane) and members of his dynasty can be seen. Next, we move on to the Registan Square, the symbol of Samarkand. The three great madrasas surrounding the square — the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, the Tilla Kari Madrasa, and the Sher-Dor Madrasa — are visited in turn.

After visiting the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, we proceed to Shah-i-Zinda, one of the most magnificent mausoleum complexes in Central Asia. Here, the tomb of Kusam ibn Abbas, said to be a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is visited. Later in the program, a short journey through the history of Islamic science takes place at the Ulugh Beg Observatory; then the tombs of Imam Maturidi and Khoja Ubaydullah Ahrar are visited. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Samarkand.

After breakfast at the hotel, before departing for Bukhara, we visit the Mausoleum and Complex of Imam Bukhari (Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari), one of the greatest hadith scholars of the Islamic world.

Along the Bukhara route, we visit three of the spiritual figures of the Naqshbandi Sufi lineage known as the "Seven Pirs": Abdulkhaliq Ghijduvani, Arif Revgari and Mahmud Injir Fagnavi. After these visits are completed, we reach Bukhara, one of the most important trading stops on the historical Silk Road.

On the Bukhara city tour, we visit in order the Samanid Mausoleum of Ismail Samani (one of the oldest surviving examples of Islamic architecture in Central Asia), the Mausoleum of Prophet Ayub (Chashma-i Ayub), the Bolo Hauz Mosque, the Ark Fortress, and the Poi Kalon Complex. The complex consists of the Kalon Minaret, the Mir Arab Madrasah and the Kalon Mosque. The tour continues with the Ulugbek Madrasah, the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah, the Magoki Attori Mosque, the Nadir Divanbegi Madrasah, and the Char Minar with its distinctive architecture of four minarets. Free time is given for shopping in the Silk Road bazaars. Overnight stay at a hotel in Bukhara.

After breakfast, the day begins with spiritual visits around Bukhara. The tombs of Sayyid Amir Kulal and Shah-i Naqshband Bahauddin Naqshband, the founder of the Naqshbandi order, are visited.

After completing the visits, the bus journey to Khiva begins, crossing the Kyzylkum Desert. The route follows the Amu Darya (Oxus) River, the lifeline of Central Asia, and offers an impressive desert–river landscape that is rare in world tourism. Arrival in Khiva in the evening, check-in at the hotel, and dinner. Overnight in Khiva.

After breakfast, a full-day walking tour begins in the İçan Kala (Inner Castle) area. This walled inner city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is preserved as an open-air museum.

The tour enters through the Ata Darvaza Gate. In turn, you visit the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, the famous Kalta Minar with its unfinished thick trunk, the Kuhna Ark Palace, and the Muhammad Rahim Khan Madrasah.

Later in the program, you visit the Tash Hauli (Stone Courtyard) Palace, the Juma Mosque, and the Islam Khoja Minaret and Madrasah. The tour concludes at the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, one of Khiva's spiritual symbols. After an enjoyable walk through history and some free time, you return to the hotel. Overnight stay in Khiva.

Flight: TK 263 | Urgench (UGC) 08:10 → Istanbul (IST) 10:30

Early in the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to Urgench International Airport. Once passport and baggage procedures are completed, we depart for Istanbul on flight TK 263 at 08:10. Upon arrival in Istanbul at 10:30, our classic Uzbekistan tour comes to an end.