Ensemble · Almazar District
Hazrati Imam (Khast Imam) Complex
The spiritual heart of old Tashkent
Itineraries · Grand tour
All of Uzbekistan in two weeks
The classic Silk Road cities, the craftspeople of the Fergana Valley, Shahrisabz, a desert yurt camp, the fortresses of Ancient Khorezm and the Savitsky Museum in Nukus — the full 14-day loop.
Best time to go
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14 days
Day by day
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Day 1
Tashkent: the Hazrati Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar, the metro stations and the Amir Timur Museum.
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Day 2
Train over the Kamchik Pass to Kokand for the Khudayar Khan Palace, then on to Margilan for the night.
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Day 3
The Yodgorlik silk factory in Margilan, where atlas and adras ikats are woven, and the potters' workshops of Rishtan; evening train back to Tashkent.
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Day 4
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Day 5
Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Siab Bazaar and Ulugh Beg's Observatory.
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Day 6
Day trip over the Takhtakaracha Pass to Shahrisabz: the ruins of Ak-Saray and the Dorut Tilavat and Dorus Saodat ensembles; back to Samarkand for the night.
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Day 7
To Nurata for the Chashma spring complex and the ruins of Nur fortress, then a yurt camp near Lake Aydarkul: camels, a campfire and a sky full of stars.
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Day 8
A morning on the shore of Aydarkul, then the drive to Bukhara and an evening stroll around Lyab-i Hauz.
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Day 9
Bukhara: Poi Kalyan, the trading domes, the Ark, Bolo Hauz and the Samanid Mausoleum.
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Day 10
Chor Minor, the Bahauddin Naqshband complex, Sitorai Mohi Khosa Palace and the potters of Gijduvan.
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Day 12
Khiva's Itchan Kala: Kalta Minor, Kunya-Ark, the Juma Mosque, Tash-Hauli and the Islam Khodja Minaret.
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Day 13
The Ancient Khorezm fortresses of the Ellikkala oasis — Toprak-Kala and Ayaz-Kala — then on to Nukus.
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Day 14
Nukus: the Savitsky State Museum of Arts of Karakalpakstan, then a flight back to Tashkent.
About the route
This itinerary crosses the country from east to west: from the mountain-ringed Fergana Valley, through Samarkand and Bukhara, to the Kyzylkum Desert, the Amu Darya oasis and Karakalpakstan. Alongside the architecture there is silk, ceramics, desert and ancient fortresses.
It runs one way: starting in Tashkent and flying back from Nukus.
Getting around
Trains to the Fergana Valley and along the Samarkand–Bukhara line; a car with driver for Shahrisabz, the Nurata desert, Bukhara–Khiva and the Ellikkala fortresses; a flight from Nukus to Tashkent.
To see Muynak and the Aral Sea shore, add two more days in Nukus (see our separate Karakalpakstan and Aral route).
When to go
April–May or September–October, when both desert and mountains are comfortable. Yurt camps usually operate from spring to autumn — book ahead.
All of Uzbekistan in two weeks
Sights along the way
Ensemble · Kokand
Palace of Khudayar Khan
The last palace of the khans of Kokand
Culture & arts · Margilan
Yodgorlik Silk Factory
From cocoon to ikat under one roof
Ensemble · Samarkand
Registan
The great square of three madrasas
Ensemble · Shahrisabz City
Ak-Saray Palace
What remains of Timur’s colossal palace in his home town
Pilgrimage site · Nurota District
Chashma Complex, Nurota
A healing spring and the 'light of Bukhara'
Ensemble · Bukhara city
Po-i-Kalyan Ensemble
Bukhara's great square: minaret, mosque and madrasa
Ensemble · Khiva
Itchan Kala
A walled museum-city where people still live
Archaeology · Ellikqala District
Ayaz Kala
Three fortresses above the Kyzylkum
Museum · Nukus
Savitsky Museum (State Museum of Arts of Karakalpakstan)
Forbidden art saved in the middle of the desert
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