Uzbekistan is the very epitome of intrigue and historical captivation. It is a cradle of culture from where a mesmerising collection of sapphire and gold buildings, monuments and magnificent cities have arisen reflecting the influence of a variety of cultures that have passed along the ‘Silk Road’. Some of the oldest settlements in the world conjure up images of sandy-coloured buildings adorned with turquoise domes, intricate wall tiles in magnificent rich colours that fill entire rooms, and bustling bazaars complete with patterned carpets and the smell of spices swirling through the air, all of which will transport you back to a time when these places were the centre of world trade. Situated in the heart of the Eurasian Steppe, the country boasts a dramatic geography of unforgiving deserts, sumptuous oases and fertile valleys watered by the Amu Darya, the ancient River Oxus. From its exhilarating capital Tashkent to the small oasis town of Khiva, a trip to Uzbekistan offers a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.

The ‘Silk Road’ was a series of trade routes that stretched from China to the Mediterranean, established during the Chinese Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). These routes were crucial to the trade of goods including textiles, spices and, of course, silk; but arguably their most important export was culture. Religion, language, philosophy and technology all travelled with the merchants and were introduced to societies all over the civilised world. From China to Turkey new cities appeared in the sands and flourished, ‘like pearls on a necklace’, including the magnificent Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The Silk Road was closed off in the mid-fifteenth century by the Ottoman Empire, which wasn’t a setback, as traders were forced out to sea, giving birth to the ‘age of discovery’. Uzbekistan played an important role on the route and flourished. After a turbulent past in which it has been conquered by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Imperial Russia as well as a period of oppressive Soviet regime, it has been left with a particularly beguiling history.

Day 0 – Depart. . Fly overnight from London to Tashkent airport and transfer to our hotel or if making your own travel arrangements meet us at the hotel.

Day 1 – Tashkent. Arrive Tashkent early afternoon and check-in to our hotel. No visits are planned for the remainder of the day which can be used to rest after the flight. Welcome drinks and Introductory talk. Hotel in Tashkent – 2 nights. (B, D).

Day 2 – Tashkent. Today we tour the marvellous city of Tashkent, one of the oldest cities of the ancient Silk Road, and bustling capital of the modern state of Uzbekistan. We start with a walking tour around the centre exploring Independence (Mustakillik) Square, the Crying Mother Monument and Amir Temur Square. We will also use the old Soviet Metro with its beautiful marble stations. We move to the old city or “eski shakhar” and Hast Imam Square, its spiritual heart. There is a wealth of Islamic architecture to savour here including Tellya Sheik Mosque and the striking brand-new Mosque of Hazrati Iman, as well as the world’s oldest Koran. (B, L, D).

Day 3 – Khiva. We travel to the airport for our early morning flight to Urgench then drive to Khiva to check-in to our hotel for two nights. Often referred to as a living museum Khiva is a strikingly beautiful Silk Road city with a multi-layered history dating back over 2,000 years. Basking in a beautiful desert light it is a confection of minarets, azure-tiled domed mosques, and intricately carved wooden doors. Khiva is made for walking: it is compact, well looked after, and still home to a vibrant population. Our tour includes the major sites of the Ichan Kala - the citadel – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we will see the truncated Kalta Minor minaret, Kunya Ark, Madrassah Rakhimkhon, Juma Friday Mosque and Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud. From the Islam Khodja minaret the entire town is laid out beneath and the desert beyond beckons. (B, L, D).

Day 4 – Khorezm Oasis. Today we explore the well-preserved remains of ancient desert castles on the edge of the Khorezm Oasis. Our first stop is Ayaz Kala, considered to be one of the biggest forts in Karakalpakstan. Located on the western side of the Sultan-Uiz-Dagh mountains the castle consists of three fortresses which were built from the 4th to the 7th century AD. We drive to Chalpikkala (in Turkic “Tower of Silence) a major Zoroastrian funerary site constructed sometime between the 1st century BC and the 1st century CE. According to local legend, the surrounding region is where Zarathushtra began to compose the Avesta. The next stop is the Kizil Kala Fortress, built in the 1st or 2nd centuries AD and occupied until the 4th century AD. It seems to have been restored much later, during the 12th or early 13th century AD, just prior to the Mongol invasion. We drive further to visit the Toprak Kala fortress, an excavated town dating back to the 1st to 5th cent AD and an important site from the Kushan Empire which covered much of modern Afghanistan and northern India. (B, L, D).

Day 5 – Journey to Bukhara. Today we journey by vehicle across the Kyzylkum (‘red sands’) desert to Bukhara enjoying a picnic lunch en route. The journey gives us superb appreciation of the vastness of the steppes and the challenges that have faced the peoples of Uzbekistan, even up to the present day. We have a chance to stop alongside the famed Amudarya river – in antiquity known as the Oxus. Check-in to our Bukhara hotel for the next three nights. (B, L, D).

Day 6 - Bukhara. A full day to explore the ‘Noble City’ of Bukhara, once one of the most important and beautiful cities of the Muslim world with over a hundred architectural monuments. We visit the most important of these including the Po-i-Kalyan religious complex, the Lab-i-khauz ensemble, the Nadirkhon Davanbegi madrassah, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque and Ismail Samanid and Chasma Ayub mausoleums. We explore the massive Ark fortress including its infamous Zinden in which British diplomats Colonel Stoddart and Captain Connolly were imprisoned prior to their beheading in 1842. (B, L, D).

Day 7 – Bukhara. Continue sightseeing in Bukhara with an excursion to the Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa (‘Palace of the Moon-like Stars’), the summer residence of the former Emir of Bukhara, where we marvel at the unique and captivating mixture of traditional Russian architectural styles with local oriental traditions. The white hall, decorated with carved alabaster, resembles halls in the Peterhof Palace in St Petersburg. We continue at the Bahauddin Naqshbandi Mausoleum named after a famous Sufi spiritual leader of this region in the 14th century. Bahouddin Naqshband's cult was highly venerated among the population and this devotion can be witnessed to this day. Return to Bukhara and visit a traditional local bazaar and relax with some free time for shopping or private exploration. (B, L, D).

Day 8 – Bukhara to Samarkand. We drive to the dramatic Sarmysh Gorge to view some of the 10,000 rock carvings of humans, aurochs, camels, lion, tiger and cheetah, the earliest dating to the 9th millennium BC. The gorge is considered one of the largest and most significant rock art galleries in the world. Continue to Samarkand where we check-in to our hotel for three nights. (B, L, D).

Day 9 – Samarkand. No name is so evocative of the Silk Road than Samarkand. It is one of the oldest existing cities in the world and the oldest in Central Asia. Built on the site of Afrosiab, dating from the 3rd or 4th millennium B.C., Samarkand was known to the ancient Greeks as Marakanda.

Today we enjoy a city tour visiting Registan Square, formerly the heart of the city, where we wonder over three of the most beautiful buildings in Central Asia: the madrassahs of Ulug-Bek (15th c), Tillya-Kori Madrasah (17th c) and Sher-Dor (17th c). The finely crafted azure tilework here is simply stunning and reflects the supremely high quality of craftsmanship in the medieval era. It has quite deservedly been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001. Later we visit the Gur Emir, the mausoleum of one of Asia’s most well-known conquerors, Tamerlane or Timur (1320s –1405), and his descendants. Timur left a deep imprimatur on Samarkand and Timurid architecture is well represented at the enormous Bibi-Khanum, the grandest structure of his times. We also admire the Shahi Zinda necropolis, built over a remarkable 800 years from the 11th century. (B, L, D)

Day 10 – Shakhrisabz. Travel via the Takhta Karcha Pass to Shakhrisabz, one of the oldest cities in the world and the birthplace of Emir Temur. Among the architectural monuments there are the remains of the massive portal of the Ak-Saray Palace and the Dor-us-Saodat Burial Complex, an outstanding example of Khorazmian architecture. Also here is a mausoleum built for Timur himself several years before his death - arranged in the shape of a tent - and the graceful Kok-Gumbas Mosque. (B, L, D).

Day 11: Samarkand to Tashkent. A morning drive to Konigil village to visit a paper-making workshop where we learn about Samarkand’s long expertise as centre for the manufacture of high-quality paper. In the workshop of a talented master we see how the rind of the mulberry tree is formed into paper. Returning to Samarkand we visit the fascinating 14th century Ulugbek Observatory with its small museum and giant astrolabe. This was built in 1428/29 by Ulugbek, grandson of the Great Amir Temur, and a great lover of astronomy.

We continue to the ancient settlement of Afrosiab, situated on the spurs of Chupan-Ata hills to the north-east of present-day Samarkand. According to the legend, it was here, on the banks of the river Siab, that the Turanian king and hero Afrosiab, a character of the folk epic Shahnama, founded the town that became the capital of Sogdiana. After perusing the museum here with its unique preserved 8th – 9th century AD murals, we transfer to the railway station to catch the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Tashkent. Transfer to Tashkent hotel for one night. (B, L, D).

Day 12: Depart. Depart hotel for Tashkent airport for the return flight to London unless you have made your own travel arrangements. (B).