Buddhism in Uzbekistan Tour

Arrive in Tashkent. Driver will pick-up from airport and transfer to the hotel, where check-in begins at noon. Meet your guide and driver and begin your Tashkent city tour with Buddhism sites:

• Tour of the Uzbekistan History Museum, a four-story museum with over a quarter million exhibits and many interesting artifacts of Buddhism and Buddha statue;
• Next sight to visit will be the Buddhist Temple in Tashkent. It is a small and functioning temple (Sunday prayer time 10:30), the garden outside was designed in typical Buddhist style with trees and a fish pond. This temple is one of the most functioning Buddhist temples in Central Asia.
• Excursion to the Ming Urik settlement, a stratified archaeological site holding 2000 years of history in the middle of Tashkent city;
• Visit Ikuo Hirayama International Caravanserai of Culture
• Walk through Seoul National Park in Tashkent.

Drive back to the hotel. Overnight in Tashkent.
Tour duration: 6 hours
Good to know: There is ARTHA culture center and café, where you can have Yoga, Art therapy, Sound healing and test Veg café after your Tashkent city tour.

Driver will meet you at hotel and transfer to local airport. Take the morning flight to Termez (1h). Upon arrival you will be met by a driver. Transfer to the hotel, have breakfast, leave luggage, check-in at noon. Start your Termez Buddhist center city tour with a local guide. Most sites protected UNESCO and part of Great Silk Road history.

• The Archaeology Museum of Termez, containing over 27,000 artefacts, including busts of Macedonian warriors, Buddhist replicas and artefacts unique to Termez dating back to the Kushan and Greco-Roman cultures;
• Fayaz-Tepe – Buddhist temple complex complete with the remains of sleeping quarters, a kitchen and ancient aqueducts;
• Kara-Tepe – A 2nd-3rd century Buddhist shrine and ongoing archeological site, a massive Buddhist center with dozens of temples and monasteries;
• Zurmala Tower – Buddha''s stupa.

Drive back to the hotel.
Overnight in Termez.
Tour duration: 5 hours

After breakfast, check-out from hotel and continue your tour to following sights:

• Drive Kampyr-Tepe, a Greco-Bactrian Kingdom fortress (45 km, 1h.). Kampyr-Tepe is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the territory of Uzbekistan. A terracotta figure of seated Buddha, found in its base;
• Kyrk-Kyz Fortress (9th-10th century) – this mysterious structure will impress with its complex archeological designs, a summer residence of Samani rulers;
• Sultan Saodat Ensemble (12-15th century) – a memorial complex of mausoleums and mosques built over a long period of time, Sultan Saodat holds the graves of the great Sayyid dynasty of Termez;
• Al-Hakim Termezy a Sufi religious leader. There is an underground prayer hall in the complex which is from ancient times.

Afternoon finish Termez tour and transfer to railway station. Take a train to Samarkand. Arrive in Samarkand, a city at the crossroads of the world’s cultures. Overnight in Samarkand.
Tour duration: 4-5 hours

Have breakfast and start the private city tour, led by an experienced local guide, check-out at noon. Tour will include the following:

• Visit to the excavation site and museum of the ancient city Afrasiab;
• Tour of the mausoleum of Khodja Daniyar, believed to be the tomb of the prophet Daniel;
• Drive to Konigil Village to observe the traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry leaves; you’ll also have the chance to buy these unique souvenirs;
• Registan Square, the commercial center of Samarkand for centuries and Samarkand’s most famous site today. The square includes three madrasahs: Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century), Sher-Dor Madrasah (17th century) and Tilla-Kori Madrasah (17th century);
• Siab Bazaar, a multi-level complex where you can shop for souvenirs and sample sweets, fruits and Samarkand’s famous bread;
• Ulugbek Observatory, where you can see the remains of a 14th-15th century sextant and tour the Ulugbek Museum.

Finish your tour. Transfer to the airport for the next destination. End of Buddhism in Uzbekistan Tour.
Tour duration: 6-7 hours