Termez – Shakhrisabz Tour from Dushanbe

Meet the driver at the hotel in Dushanbe.

09:00 Transfer to Tajik - Uzbek–border "Bratstvo"/ "Sariosiyo” (80 km) en-route visiting:

- Gissar Fortress - the remains of the Bukhara Emirate Beck’s palace. Its thick walls once guarded a pool, garden, and palace, while the fortress itself opposed a noisy market and caravanserai. The place was famous for its center of commerce during the Silk Road.

- Old Medressa (Madrasai Kuhna) of the 16-17th century with a museum inside, the new Madrassa of 17-18 century as well as Caravan Saray.

Arrival at the border post "Sariosiyo". Border crossing to Uzbekistan usually takes about 30 min-1 hr.

Meet the driver at the Uzbekistan side of the border and transfer to Termez (180 km, 2.5 hrs) with sightseeing en-route:

- Jarkurgan Minaret (about 40 km from Termez in Minor village), one of the oldest minarets in Central Asia built in 1109 by the order of Sultan Sanjar.

The decoration of the minaret is not mosaic of colored tiles but masonry on ganch solution. The design is notable for that the tower consists of 16 half-columns in the shape of a flower or a star.

The minaret was covered with inscriptions from holly book Koran and ornaments, the remains of the minaret of 21,6 m high are considered as one of the most significant historical sites of Termez and surroundings.

Arrival in Termez in the afternoon.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide in the hotel's lobby.

Termez, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, is located in the Surkhan Oasis, where ancient Buddhist monastery complexes coexisted along with monumental Islamic architectural masterpieces of the region.

Start Termez  sightseeing tour visiting:

- Kokildor-Ota Khanaka, Sultan Saodat Ensemble, a summer residence of Samani governors;

- Fortress Kyrk-Kyz - the unique "Kirk Kiz" building ("forty girls”) attracted the attention of researchers for a long time, has been variously considered as a palace, an abbey, a caravansarai, hanaqa, or just simply a civil construction.

- Zurmala – Buddha’s stupa, Buddha complex Fayaz – Tepa – one of the museums in the open air under the protection of UNESCO.

- Mausoleum of Al-Hakim at–Termezi, the founder of the dervish order, an outstanding theologian who wrote numerous religious works and a leader of Islamic mysticism.

 - Archaeology Museum of Termez where one can see the unique exhibits found on the territory of Termez and its surroundings.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to Samarkand via Shakhrisabz town. 

Meet the guide in Shahrisabz.

Excursion tour in Shakhrisabz includes visiting (2,5 hrs):

- Ak Saray Palace (“White Palace”), the ruins of the summer palace of Tamerlane. The palace was constructed and decorated by deported from conquered Khorezm skillful builders, masters and artisans. Some parts of the gate tower survived to the present day.

- Mausoleum of Dorus-Saodat ("The Place of Power", XIV century) contains the tomb of Eldest and favorite Tamerlane’s son Jahongir.

- Visit Kok Gumbaz, so-called “House of Meditation.

- Mausoleum Gumbazi-Seyidon of the XVI century where the descendants of Ulugbek are buried.

Continue to Samarkand. Arrival in the evening. Hotel check-in.

End of the tour.