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Detailed tour description:
Day 15. Yurt camp under Lenin Peak - Osh.
From the foot of Ibn Sina/Lenin Peak you are going down the scenic mountain road to the ancient city of Osh. The Kyrgyz call Osh their southern capital. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but the legends about the city connect its origin with Alexander the Great and even the prophet Solomon (Suleiman). According to one of the legends, once Suleiman and his army with a pair of oxen with a plow in front came to the area. When the oxen came up to the mountains, the king said, ‘Hosh!’ (‘Enough!’), which was what the name of the town built where the oxen stopped came from.
Osh is one of the oldest Central Asian settlements and is the oldest one in Kyrgyzstan. Archaeological finds prove that the city is at least 3000 years old. In the 10th c Osh was considered the third largest city in Fergana Valley. It was a cross-roads of the caravan routes from India and China to Europe - those of the Great Silk Road, part of which you are moving along. In modern times Osh became the starting point of the Pamir Highway crossing the Pamirs to end in Khorog. Osh is also one of the Muslim religious centers in Central Asia; it has the largest mosque in the country. The only World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan, Suleiman Mountain, offers a splendid view of Osh and its environs. A cave in the mountain is the site of a museum containing a collection of archaeological, geological and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna. There are many legends about the mountain. It was named for the prophet Suleiman, who is believed to have been able to cure all the diseases.
After a long journey you are having a rest in a cozy hotel room.
Day 16. Osh - Ferghana.
You are moving on back to Uzbekistan. Leaving Osh early, you are going to Fergana. Today you are seeing the legendary Fergana Valley with your own eyes. In ancient times numerous caravans moving along the Great Silk Road towards the Mediterranean found shelter in this fertile and densely-populated oasis. You are moving along some of these ancient roads too. On the way to Ferghana you are visiting the city of Margilan. In the 10th c Margilan was famous for its silks a long way from it in the East and West. You will have the opportunity to see these unique silks and hear some interesting things about silk making at Yodgorlik - Uzbekistan’s largest traditional silk factory. You are also visiting the local bazaar where you will be able to buy a piece of fine Margilan silk and many other interesting souvenirs.
The medieval ruler of Ferghana Valley and founder of the Mughal dynasty Babur wrote in the early 16th c that Margilan ‘pomegranates and apricots are superb… the game in Margilan is good; white deer may be found nearby.’ White deer are not there anymore, but the city still makes a pleasant impression on a traveler: its fruit are as superb, and it is still buried in verdure. Among the sights of the city stands out the architectural complex Kaftarlik of the 18th c. Its mosque with unique paintings and mysterious minarets are worth seeing as well.
After the excursion round Margilan you are going on to Ferghana where you will have a good rest in a cozy hotel room.
Day 17. Ferghana - Rishtan - Kokand - Tashkent.
Continuing to explore Ferghana Valley, you are going to Rishtan. Rishtan is famous for its ceramics; it is one of oldest centers of ceramics in Uzbekistan. They say Rishtan art of pottery is over 800 years old, passed down from generation to generation. The local masters use the fine quality reddish-yellow clay of the area, which is suitable for making a wide variety of ceramic items. Covered with the traditional blue-green glaze iskor, the decorative patterns of Rishtan ceramics is one of the richest. By the 1960s the traditional technologies had almost died out, but thanks to the efforts of the potters themselves, they have been revived. Today over 2000 craftsmen use both traditional and modern technologies to make a few million items per year. You will have the opportunity to visit a few of the large number of potter’s shops in Rishtan, see the process of making their truly unique ceramics and buy a piece or more of them.
On the way on to Tashkent you are visiting Kokand, another Fergana Valley city. It is also quite impressive and worth seeing. In the late 19th - early 20th c Kokand was the second largest city in Ferghana Valley. It has existed since at least the 10th c when it was first mentioned in Chinese manuscripts. It stood at a crossroads of the ancient Silk Roads and was the main transportation junction in Fergana Valley.
Kokand had 29 khans. Khudayar-Khan (1854 - 1876), the last of them, is probably best known. He lost and regained his throne four times. ‘A new ruler is a new coin’, as the old Asian saying goes. With regard to Kokand rulers, it was a new palace. In the eventful history of Kokand the palace of Khudayar-Khan was the seventh khan’s residence during the length of 150 years. This beautiful residence, which still survives, was built in 1871 by the architect Mir Ubaidullo and decorated by the best Ferghana Valley master craftsmen. The palace surrounded by a stone fence with carvings had seven inner yards and 119 rooms, some of which still survive. The upper part of its main entrance bears an inscription in Arabic; it says ‘Great Sayid Muhammad Khudoyar-Khan’. Today the palace houses the city’s museum of regional studies (museum of the local history, ethnography, economy, etc.).
In the past Kokand was a large religious center. In its heyday the city had 35 madrasahs and 100 mosques. Unfortunately, most of them were destroyed by time, earthquakes or Soviet authorities. Norbutabi Madrasah, built in the 19th c, was the main religious center of Kokand. After 1991 the madrasah was reopened; now there are over 80 students studying there. The local Juma Mosque (‘Friday mosque’), built in the early 19th c, is also worth seeing. The roof of its ayvan terrace lies on 98 pillars made of stone-hard Celtis wood. The pillars are covered with beautiful carvings. On the ceiling of the mosque, between the beams covered with decorative patterns, there are very impressive vassa plaques with fine paintings. In front of the mosque stands a majestic minaret; it is seen from anywhere in the city. Another sight is Modarikhan Mausoleum. It was built in memory of the famous poetess Nadira who was executed by order of Bukhara Emir.
You will also have a stop at the site of the ancient settlement Aksikent, which dates back to the 1st - 2nd с BCE, and after the excursion round it, you will go on back to Tashkent where a good night rest in a hotel will await you.
Day 18. Tashkent. Departure.
If there is enough time until your flight back home, you may want to visit Chor-Su bazaar or just walk around the center of the city to enjoy the view of the city’s fountains, parks, monuments and buildings. You may also want to go down to Tashkent metro, one of the world’s most beautiful.
Your tour has ended. You have traveled along the Pamir Highway, been at the foot of the sun, seen what very few people have seen so far. The majestic Pamirs will still be there if you once again want to see them. So welcome back and bring friends with you!
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