29 U S A ( To l l - f r e e ) 1- 877- 381- 2 9 14 E m a i l inf o@the culturalexperience.com Early Periods Tamanna Kala, Bukhara We arrive at Bukhara mid-afternoon allowing time to visit the beautifully located Samani and Chashma Ayub mausoleums and the Bolo Khauz Mosque before we check in to our hotel for the next two nights. Day 7 - 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, the most important being the Po-i-Kalyanreligiouscomplexandthemassive Ark fortress including its infamous Zinden in which Col Stoddart and Capt Connolly were imprisoned prior to their beheading in 1842. This evening we shall enjoy a traditional folk show followed by dinner. Day 8 – Bukhara to Samarkand. Drive to the Palace of the Moon-like Stars, the Summer Palace of the last Emir of Bukhara. Thence to the Sarmysh Gorge to see the 4000 year-old open-air petroglyphs painted on its polished basalt rocks. Arrive Samarkand where we check in to the Grand Samarkand Hotel for three nights. Day 9 – Samarkand. Visit the 14th Century Ulugbek Observatory, its small museum and the giant astrolabe; explore the stunning Shah I Zinda avenue of beautifully tiled mausoleums; the lavish Regional Studies museum with its peculiar collection including furniture captured from Napoleon in 1812; Registan Square and its wondrous architectural ensemble of Tilla-Kori Madrasah; Ulugbeg Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001. Day 10 – Samarkand. Morning visit the Afrosiab museum with its important archaeological collection, thence to the Bibi Khoym mosque built in commemoration of Timur's wife, buried in a tomb located in a madrasa complex nearby. Continue to the Gur Emir mausoleum complex where Tamerlane is interred. Day 11 – Shakhrisabz, Tashkent. Travel via the Takhta Karcha Pass to 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 Tamerlane himself several years before his death arranged in the shape of a tent. On our return we visit the shrine of Langar Ota with its monument to Tamerlane’s general and its wonderfully tiled 15th century mosque. In the late afternoon, we take our business class seats on the high speed train to Tashkent. Day 12 – Depart. An opportunity to explore the Chorsu Bazaar before transferring to the airport for our return flight home arriving London mid-evening. Khiva City walls, Khiva