Archaeological treasures of Uzbekistan
2025
Highlights of the trip
During your stay you can enjoy the following highlights: Culture / Heritage, Discovery.
Best times to go
The best time(s) to go is/are : Printemps, Eté, Automne.
Petit Futé
The map of your stay "Archaeological treasures of Uzbekistan"
Detail of the stay : Archaeological treasures of Uzbekistan
How to get there - Tachkent
Contact with Central Asian civilization
Steps: Tachkent
Arrival in Tashkent. Start by familiarizing yourself with the local history and archaeological finds of the country by visiting the Museum of the History of Peoples of Uzbekistan and the Amur Timur Museum in the afternoon. Walk in the evening and show at the Navoi Opera House.
Places of interest : MUSÉE AMUR TIMUR MUSÉE NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE
Heading south
Steps: Termez
Morning flight to Termez. Afternoon visit to the Surkhan Daria Archaeological Museum, certainly one of the most beautiful in Uzbekistan, presenting all the wonders uncovered in the region's many excavation sites.
Places of interest : MUSÉE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE DE LA RÉGION DE SOURKHAN DARIA
The sands of Surkhan Daria
Steps: Termez
Visit the main archaeological sites around Termez: Fayaz tepe, Kara tepe, Zurmala tower. All these sites date from the same period and bear witness to the passage of Buddhism from India to China via Central Asia. Please note that some of them border on Iran and require special authorization.
Vestiges on the Silk Road
Steps: Termez
Visit to a new excavation site a little further from Termez: Kampyr Tepe, where the ruins of an ancient port on the Amou Daria river have been uncovered. It was an important stopover on the Silk Road.
Places of interest : KAMPIR TEPE
Shakhrisabz and the Imperial Palace
Steps: Shahrisabz
Morning drive to Shakhrisabz, Tamerlane's birthplace. You can visit the ruins of the White Palace, with its beautiful mosaics restored by a French team. Don't miss the main monuments erected by the emperor, in particular the crypt where he planned to be buried before finally resting in Samarkand.
The treasures of Samarkand
Steps: Samarkand
Early morning drive to Samarkand. Daytime visit to the Registan (Ulough Beg madrasa, Tillia-Kari madrasa, Chir Dor madrasa), Bibi Khanum mosque and the necropolis of Shah i Zinda at the end of the day. Enjoy the beautiful fading light over the domes of the "necropolis of the living king".
Afrosyab website
Steps: Samarkand
Morning visit to theUlugh Begh observatory. In the afternoon, you'll survey the gigantic site of Afrosyab, the hill where Samarkand was originally located, right next to Shah i Zinda. Excavations are still going on at this gigantic site, and a guided tour is highly recommended if you want to decipher the organization of the ancient city.
On the road to Bukhara
Steps: Vabkent
Road to Bukhara with a stop on the way to the caravanserai of Rabât-i Malik. Visit also the cistern of Gijduvan and the minaret of Vabkent. Other steps can be programmed along the way depending on the type of transport you choose. A car with driver will allow you to stop where and when you want.
Places of interest : CARAVANSERAIL RABAT I MALIK
The pearl of Islam
Steps: Boukhara
Visit the old town of Bukhara. From the central basin(liab i khaouz), follow the maze of merchant domes to reach thePoy Kalon complex and its sumptuous minaret. In the afternoon, get off the beaten track and explore the Chor Minor district, then come back to the basin to refresh yourself and finish the day.
Places of interest : ENSEMBLE POY KALON TCHOR MINOR
Ancient monuments
Steps: Boukhara
Morning visit to the Samanid mausoleum, a unique architectural treasure and one of the oldest surviving monuments in the Muslim world. After a stop at the Chachma Ayoub mazar and the Bolo Khaouz mosque, head for the citadel and visit the site of Bukhara's ancient fortress. At the end of the day, take advantage of being in a large craft center to do a little shopping in the market domes, then visit the nearby Magok i Attari mosque, one of the oldest in the country.
Places of interest : MOSQUÉE MAGOK-I-ATTARI MOSQUÉE BOLO-KHAOUZ MAZAR CHACHMA AYOUB
The ancient kingdom of Khorezm
Steps: Khiva
Journey to Khiva. The road is long and tiring in summer, but there are flights several times a week between the two cities, which are undoubtedly preferable if you can't stand the heat. At the end of the day, first contact with Khiva, the ancient capital of Khorezm.
Desert fortresses
Departure for the fortresses of Karakalpakistan. Visit Toprak kala, the ancient capital of the Khorezm kingdom. A good cab will take you to two or three other fortresses (there are over fifty in the desert), including Kyzyl Kala. We recommend spending the night in a yurt at Ayaz Kala or Djambaz Kala, in the heart of the desert.
The fortresses of the desert (continued)
Steps: Noukous
Drive towards the citadels even deeper into the desert like Kirkiz Kala, then take the road to Nukus. About 30 km before arriving in the capital of Karakalpakstan, visit the 2,000-year-old necropolis of Mizdakhan.
