Uzbekistan's Silk Route Mar 2020

UZBEKISTAN

October 12-28, 2021

with Optional Kyrgyzstan Oct 6-12, 2021*

Arts, crafts, textiles, and architecture of the Silk Route's ancient hub

17 Days in-depth exploration, Optional Kyrgyzstan 7 days

The Silk Route was a place where culture and commerce intersected. A sense of exploration mixed with the exchange of things and ideas.” -- Ron Pompeii

Few spots left

Since the Middle Ages, Uzbekistan was the centre of the Silk Road whose rulers left behind impressive art
and architecture. From weaving to embroidery, pottery to paper-making against the backdrop of awe-inspiring architecture, it’s a country full of many generations of applied artistry.

Our tour tells the tale of one of humankind’s most important arteries of trade and culture. Skirting deserts, loping over mountains, delving into fabled cities -- we will explore thousands of years of history in seventeen leisurely days.Trace the tale of one of humankind’s most important arteries of trade and culture.

Highlights
• Follow the Silk Road through ancient cities Khiva, Bukhara, Shahrisabz, Samarkand, and
Tashkent for arts, culture, and history of this storied region
• Beautiful Fergana Valley in easternmost Uzbekistan for outstanding ikat, suzani, and ceramics
• Buzz of markets in Urgut and Margilan teeming with all manner of goods, especially textiles
• Isolated, semi-autonomous Karakalpakstan for the stupendous Savitsky Collection, a treasure
trove of modernist Russian art spirited away from the Soviet revolution
• Visit award-winning artisans for traditional block printing, ikat weaving, rug making,
embroidery, ceramics, and contemporary fashion
• Culinary beats, desert fortresses, wild and windswept landscapes

Cost: USD 4240 pp double occ./Add 1260 for single occ.

Optional extension: Kyrgyzstan 7 days USD 1600/ Add 530 for single occ.

COVID cancellation provisions in effect - see terms

Uz Itinerary with costs

Accolades for past tours

Deeply grateful . . . great insight in history, culture, and hand work . . . thank you for this opportunity, it was a gift - Name withheld for privacy reasons

Amazing trip...overwhelmed by how far we travelled, amazing architectural wonders, fascinating textiles, and the joy of the Uzbek people - Kathleen K.

Had the best time with @eyhotours. I look forward to when I can travel with you again. The craftspeople are next level amazing - Anna Lee Levin

* Kyr. extension dates subject to change

Fabled Cities

Explore storied Samarkhand, Khiva, Bukhara, Shahrisabz, and Tashkent. We will catch the liveliest local markets and visit generational artisans in their workshops. Architecture this astounding and beautiful calls for expert monument guides . . . but you'll also have plenty of time to explore on your own and hear the ancient echoes.

Fergana Valley

Outstanding ikat and suzani, including ceramics from the local red clay featuring intricate designs and distinctive blue green glazes. Unmissable Kumtepa Bazaar where ikat is sold by the yard, and the largest collection you'll probably see. We'll visit silk factories for the sericulture that gave the Silk Road its name.

Cultural immersion

Against the backdrop of azure tiled monuments, revel in rich culture, music, and dancing. You are sure to run into a few weddings, which, in Uzbekistan, are celebrated with gusto to include honoured guests from aborad. i.e. you.

Savitsky Collection

Touch down in isolated, semi-autonomous Karakalpakstan for the astounding Savitsky Collection of modernist Russian art spirited away from the Soviet revolution. You'll get a chance to come face to face with the work of some of the biggest names in Russian art.

Award-winning artisans

The wealth of the Silk Road gave rise to a country full of many generations of applied artistry. We will visit award-winning artisans for traditional block printing, ikat weaving, rug making, embroidery, ceramics, and contemporary fashion.

Culinary Beats

Good food is a given in a land that enjoyed royal patronage through several civilisations. We will take in delectable meals including sacred bread and the national rice dish, plov. You'll come back inspired to transport a bit of Central Asia home!

Memorable vistas

Wealthy traders safeguarded their caravans during the Silk Road days by building strongholds. The scale and abundance of desert fortresses in wild and windswept landscapes will stay with you long after the flight back home.

Lost in Kyrgyzstan

Optional add-on. Whereas Uzbekistan historically had a settled culture due to arable land, 85% of Kyrgyzstan being mountainous resulted in a nomadic culture that survives to this day. Yurts, felting, superb horsemen, hunting with eagles, and stunning pristine vistas, Kyrgyzstan has it all.

Photo credits: Dana Davies, Shila Desai, Paule Seux, Kalpak Travel, Tuul and Bruno Morandi, Outlook Traveler, Savitsky Museum

Read about Textiles and Arts/Crafts on this tour

About your Uzbekistan tour leader, Dana Davies

“The heart wants what it wants” and apparently Dana Davies’ heart, unbeknownst to her, wanted Uzbekistan. A life long fascination with fabrics was rewarded on a trip to Turkey where the discovery of suzani embroidery led to textile-focused trips to Central Asia, and a full-fledged obsession with its people, culture, landscape, and legends. Dana is passionate about sharing this extraordinary experience with others and, after a spectacular tour with Shila in Northwest India and Morocco, was thrilled to collaborate on the 2019 tour, and again in 2021.

More photos