Silk Road Journey from Tashkent to Isfahan
Tashkent • Samarkand • Bukhara • Merv • Ashkabad • Mashad • Tehran • Shiraz • Isfahan
October 3-21, 2017
Trace the path of the great camel caravans along the Old Silk Road, encountering seven different UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the fabled Uzbek
oases Samarkand and Bukhara, as well as the elegant mosques of Isfahan in
Iran. Along the way, lunch with a master ceramicist, see a demonstration of traditional Central Asian horse games, and learn about the history of the original Silk
Road and the future of the New Silk Road in this geopolitically important region.
Study Leader Kay J. Maxwell
Special Meetings
Kay Maxwell is Executive Director of the World Affairs Forum in Stamford, CT. She
served as the 16th president of the League of Women Voters of the United States
from 2002-2006. During that time, she conducted training of women leaders in Bosnia
and provided oversight for several League international programs. Since1999, she has
traveled to various countries, including Azerbaijan, to conduct civic participation training
sessions for women political, NGO and business leaders. She organized and led teams
of experts to train local and regional level government officials, as well as members of
the Presidential Administration, in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Kay’s leadership in the
League and her commitment to strengthening democracy worldwide has earned her
several honors. She attended Smith College and earned a B.A. in International Relations
from the University of Pennsylvania.
• U.S. Embassy briefings in Tashkent and Ashkabad (note,
no political briefings in Iran permitted)
Program Highlights
• Participate in an exclusive meeting with the Senior
Advisor for Bukhara’s Ark Museum.
• Visit a workshop where hand-crafted paper is made according to traditions
handed down from the 8th century, when paper-making began in Samarkand.
• Enjoy a privately guided tour of Tashkent’s Museum
of Applied Arts, housed in the former mansion of a
wealthy czarist diplomat.
• Visit the private Samarkand studio of internationally
recognized fashion designer Valentina Romanenko.
• Converse with your hostess at a convivial meal in the
home of a local family in Samarkand.
• Explore the extensive ruins of the ancient city of Merv, and learn about its
turbulent history from an expert guide.
• Take part in a walking tour of Bukhara’s Jewish
Quarter, in the heart of the Old Town, and meet with
community representatives at the synagogue.
• Venture outside Ashkabad to visit a horse-breeding farm devoted to the renowned
Akhal-Teke horse, arguably the oldest cultured breed of horse in the world.
For Reservations & Information
• Join devout Muslims as they approach one of the holiest sites in the Islamic world,
the Shrine of Imam Reza in remote Mashad.
• Stand in the shadow of the colossal marble pillars of Persepolis, erected more than
2,000 years ago.
• Admire the complex architecture and extraordinary ornamentation of Imam Square
in Isfahan.
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Tel: 800-942-5004 ext 209 or 217 / 215-561-4700
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.wacphila.org
© 2016 MIR Corporation, all rights reserved
Photos: WAC & MIR Corporation
Silk Road Journey from Tashkent
to Isfahan
Day by Day Itinerary
Days 1-3
Depart USA • Arrive Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Explore Uzbekistan’s capital city, Tashkent, including Independence Square and
the Courage Monument. In the old part of town, admire the Uthman Koran,
scribed on calfskin in the 7th century and considered by Sunni Muslims to be
the oldest Koran in the world. Enjoy a privately guided tour of the Museum
of Applied Arts, featuring the painted carved plaster called ganche, carved
wood and tile work. Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace (2 inflight, 1B, 1L, 1D)
Days 4-5
Samarkand
Hop the morning fast train to Samarkand and embark on an exploration of this UNESCO-listed oasis
city, beginning with majestic Registan Square. Discover the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place
of Tamerlane, and the Bibi Khanum Mosque, dedicated to the memory of his favorite wife. Visit Ulug
Bek’s observatory, one of the most advanced of the ancient world, and spend some time at fashion
designer Valentina Romanenko’s studio, where she creates and shows her elegant modern fashions
made with traditional fabrics and techniques. Registan Plaza Hotel (2B, 2L, 2D)
Days 6-7
Bukhara
On the road to Bukhara, pay a visit to the ceramics workshop of the renowned Narzulaev family, touring
the kilns and the studio, and enjoying a meal. In Bukhara, tour the Ark Citadel, the original fortress of
Bukhara, and meet its Senior Scientific Advisor, responsible for ongoing projects and renovations. Admire
the lovely Ismael Samani Mausoleum, with its sixteen different styles of brickwork, and Lyabi-Hauz Plaza,
the center of Bukhara’s old town. Attend a performance by local artists at a madrassah. Hotel Modarixon
(2B, 2L, 2D)
Trip Details
Silk Road - 19 Days
October 3-21, 2017
From $8,350 per person,
double occupancy based
on 20 travelers
Single supplement: $1,325
Included
• Trip study leader with
lectures
• All accommodations based
on double occupancy,
hotel taxes
• Internal airfare from Mashad to Tehran
• All meals per itinerary
• Group arrival / departure
transfers
• All land transportation
per itinerary by private
motor coach
• Special cultural events
and extensive sightseeing,
including entrance fees
Days 8-10
Mary, Turkmenistan • Merv • Ashkabad
Cross the border into Turkmenistan and explore the UNESCO-listed ancient ruins of Merv, where the
earliest remains are from the time of Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC. Continue to the capital,
Ashkabad, for a visit to the History and Ethnography Museum, with artifacts ranging from stone-age tools
to carpets and jewelry. Venture outside the city to visit an Akhal-Teke horse-breeding farm, accompanied
by the owner. Hotel Oguzkent (3B, 3L, 3D)
• Services of a bi-lingual
tour manager throughout
the land program
Days 11-12
Mashad, Iran • Tehran
Drive to the Iranian border crossing and continue to the holy city of Mashad, where you visit the areas
of the Imam Reza shrine that are permitted to non-Muslims, as well as the tomb and museum of Nadir
Shah and the Khajeh Rabi Mausoleum, decorated with the fine calligraphy of Al Reza Abbasi, Persia’s
most famous calligrapher. Take an evening flight to Tehran. Homa Hotel 2 in Mashad, Hotel Espinas in
Tehran (2B, 2L, 2D)
Not Included
Days 13-15
Tehran • Shiraz
Modern Tehran is full of shops, museums, mosques, minarets, restaurants, teahouses and a sprawling
bazaar. Explore the city, including the Archaeological Museum, displaying Persian antiquities, art and
artifacts from Iran’s long past; Iran’s Crown Jewels at the State Jewels Museum, safeguarding the Daryaye-Nur, the world’s largest uncut diamond; and UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace, encompassing several
palatial buildings around a cool green garden. Fly to Shiraz, and set off on a full-day tour of the “City of
Roses and Nightingales.” Explore the lovely pink-tiled Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque, the Narenjestan Garden
with its beautiful cypress-lined avenues, and the Tomb of Hafez, Iran’s favorite poet. Hotel Espinas in
Tehran, Homa Hotel in Shiraz (3B, 3L, 2D)
Days 16-19
Persepolis • Isfahan
Spend some time in one of the most important sites of the Ancient World – the ceremonial capital of
the Achaemenid kings, Persepolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the monumental rock
carvings at Naghsh-e Rostam, thought to be the tombs of Darius the Great, Xerxes and Artaxerxes. In
beautiful Isfahan, visit one of the world’s largest public squares, UNESCO-listed Imam Square. Stop at
the spectacular Friday Mosque and explore Isfahan’s amazing 17th century Qaisarieh Bazaar. Visit the
Armenian Quarter, location of the sand-colored stonework of Vank Cathedral, and admire some of the
five graceful bridges over Isfahan’s Zayendeh River. Enjoy a final farewell dinner before the tour ends
with transfers to the airport. Abbasi Hotel (4B, 3L, 2D)
• All gratuities
• Comprehensive predeparture packet
• Travel insurance
• Roundtrip airfare from /
to your home city. MIR
can assist you with reservations
• Passport and visa fees
• Personal items such as
telephone calls, alcohol
(not permitted in Iran),
laundry, excess baggage
fees
• Single supplement
• Items not expressly listed
as included
Air Arrangements
Program rates do not
include international airfare.
Because there are a number
of flight options available,
there is no group flight for
this program. Information
on recommended flight
itinerary will be sent by
our tour operator upon
confirmation.