CLASIC TOUR AROUND TURKMENISTAN

Ashgabat –Nisa-Gypjak-Horse Farm.

Meet tourist at Ashgabat airport flight from Dubai at 03:20 am.Transfer to hotel accommodation. Hotel rest. Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast start program to visit Nisa fortress -the Sanctuary of Parthian Kings. UNESCO declared fortress a World Heritage Site in 2007. Drive to visit the biggest Mosque in Central Asia Ruhy Mosque (Gypjak), Mausoleum of the first President of Turkmenistan. Continue drive to Gokdepe region to visit horse farm for exploring the pride of the Turkmen people – Akhal-Teke horses. Lunch at the horse farm. Riders will show short show. Back to Ashgabat, rest at the hotel, dinner.  

Ashgabat – Kov-Ata – Nokhur – Balkanabat

Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Kow-Ata underground lake that is located 107 km from Ashgabat. The Turkmen name Kow-Ata means Father of caves. At first glance, this underground area appears like a magnificent auditorium: the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height reaches 20 m, and its width is at some points 57 m. The bottom of the cave is covered with lumps of dissolved limestone (stalagmites), and its warm and gushing water is clear and emerald colored. The water has a constant temperature of 33-37°C. (You should swim in a lake). Continue with Nokhur. The village itself fills a small depression valley in the mountains of the Kopet Dag Range, and the houses are been built with local boulders cemented with mud. Apart from the main street through the middle of the town, the streets are so narrow that they only just fit a car between the high stone retaining walls on each side.The Nohkuri people who populate this remote mountain village are quite different to other Turkmen tribes. They live in a handful of villages in the mountainous border area spanning Turkmenistan and Iran. Nokhur is the largest village with just a thousand or maybe two thousand people. After lunch, continue our way to Balkanabat city. Accommodate at the hotel, dinner. 

Balkanabat – Yangykala – Gozli-Ata – Turkmenbashy – Awaza

Breakfast at the hotel, we will visit one of the scenic natural objects of Turkmenistan – Yangikala canyons is located165 km to the north from Balkanabat and 160 km to the east from Turkmenbashi. The word expression” yangi kala” is translated from Turkmen as “fire fortresses”. Indeed, the sheer cliffs of white, yellow, ocher, purple and red colors, fancily carved by winds and rains, are very similar to the stone castles from a fantasy. The most beautiful canyons are during sunset, when everything is painted in a red-hot color. Once, the bottom of the canyons was the bottom of an ancient sea. In addition, today you can walk there, like in a natural park of sculptures made of compressed soil, sloughing in hands. For this reason, although you can climb the variegated hills, you cannot handhold the buttress. Ata is one of the remotest shrine pilgrimage destinations in Turkmenistan. Its setting is also among the most beautiful. It lies in the centre of a natural bowl, surrounded by escarpments of bands of pink and white rock. Gozli Ata was reportedly a respected Sufi who lived in the early part of the 14th century. His mausoleum is a brick building with twin white domes, standing in an old graveyard containing many nicely carved stone tombs. The twin- domed structure of the mausoleum is necessary to accommodate the length of the tomb: a triangular prism perhaps three ordinary graves long. Continue to Awaza. Dinner, overnight at hotel.

Turkmenbashy – Ashgabat (by air).

Breakfast at the hotel, free time, Dinner. Transfer for evening flight at 21:55/22:50 (time could be changed) to Ashgabat. Overnight at the hotel.

Ashgabat – Ancient Merv

Early breakfast at the hotel, drive to the east of Turkmenistan to visit an ancient/ abounded city Abiverd. Then continuing to Ancient Merv. It was located at the road crossing of the Great Silk Road, quickly became one of the largest and biggest cities of the ancient world, and was one of the most important capitals of Islam along with Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus. Guided tour: Gyz Gala, Erk Gala, Soltan Gala, Soltan Sanjar Mausoleum, Ibn Zeid Mausoleum. Drive back to Mary city and dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Mary.

Mary- Talkhatan Baba-Historical museum-Mary

Breakfast at the hotel. After visiting Talkahatan Baba Mosque. Built in 1095, the mosque features some attractive Seljuk decorated brickwork. Approximately 18m long and 12m wide, the mosque has a single brick dome, and opens on its eastern side. Its large central arched entrance and two lateral arches accommodate wooden paneling around doors and windows. Twin tombs, covered by white tiles, lie in the courtyard in front of the main entrance. The brickwork decorating the four blind niches on the western exterior wall of the building is particularly fine.  We will continue with National History and Ethnology Museum, Arriving Margush Hotel. Overnight at the Hotel.  

Mary – Margush – Ashgabat

After the breakfast the group will visit the 5th center of civilization – The Merv Oasis was an important centre for human settlement long before Achaemenian times. A remarkable Bronze Age civilization existed here, known variously as Margush, meaning ‘lowland’, or by the Greek name of Margiana. It has been gradually uncovered since the early 1970s by Professor Viktor Sarianidi, who heads the Margiana Archaeological Expedition. The Bronze Age sites are to be found at or beyond the northern edge of the present-day oasis, in land, which is now, desert. Climatic change and progressive desertification caused the abandonment of the area, with the result that the ruins of the Bronze Age settlements are well preserved beneath the desert soils. The Margiana sites seem to have had close ties with those at Bactria, in present-day northern Afghanistan. Sarianidi argues that the Bactria- Margiana complex was a major center of ancient civilisation, and has speculated that Margiana may even have been a birthplace of Zoroastrianism. Evening flight at 18:10/18:50 (time could be changed) to Ashgabat, dinner and accommodate at the hotel.

Ashgabat city tour-Museum of Ethnography _Museum of Fine Arts

 After breakfast, Ashgabat city tour: group will visit Revival Park, Russian Market, Lenin’s square, Ertogrulgazy mosque, Park of Independence, Arch of Neutrality.  After the lunch, we will visit Museum of Ethnography and Museum of Fine Arts. Dinner time. Overnight at hotel.

Jygyllyk/ Oriental bazar – Seyitjemaleddin Mosque

 Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to visit Altyn Asyr Oriental Bazar – Jygyldyk located in 20km to the north of Ashgabat. It is one of the largest open bazaars in the world filled with colourful rugs, jewellery, carpets, silk and national Turkmen costumes and animals market in other part. Drive to visit Annau  “Seyitjemaleddin Mosque”, he major sight remaining for the visitor today is that of the ruins of the 15^th century Seyit Jamal-ad-Din Mosque. Return to Ashgabat rest. Dinner time. Overnight at the hotel.

Ashgabat – Damla

Hotel check out. Drive to village Damla. It is located in the midst of the arid sprawl of Turkmenistan’s vast Karakum desert; the tiny village of Damla is a little haven of traditional Turkmenistani life. Among just 60 dwellings in the swirling sands, the local inhabitants go about their daily lives quietly and simply and a visit to Damla is a unique opportunity to see and experience a slice of their way of life. Located to the east of the fiery crater at Darvaza and connected to other civilization by endless sandy dunes, Damla is secluded and cut off; indeed, many of the villagers trek miles to neighboring towns like Bekuri, on foot or carried on camels or horseback for supplies and services. However, precisely Damla’s isolation creates its charm; see and experience for yourself the marvel of the peace and tranquility of this preserved piece of true Turkmenistan. In the midst of the arid sprawl of Turkmenistan’s vast Karakum desert, the tiny village of Damla is a little haven of traditional Turkmenistani life. Among just 60 dwellings in the swirling sands, the local inhabitants go about their daily lives quietly and simply and a visit to Damla is a unique opportunity to see and experience a slice of their way of life. Located to the east of the fiery crater at Darvaza and connected to other civilization by endless sandy dunes, Damla is secluded and cut off; indeed, many of the villagers trek miles to neighboring towns like Bekuri, on foot or carried on camels or horseback for supplies and services. However, precisely Damla’s isolation creates its charm; see and experience for yourself the marvel of the peace and tranquility of this preserved piece of true Turkmenistan.

Lunch – Dinner – Breakfast- traditional style in Damla village. Overnight in tents.

Damla – Darwaza

After breakfast, Tour continued to Cas Crater- Darwaza. On the way to see 2 more creators. It lies in the settlement of Darvaza itself, just off to the west of the main road. First one crater is deep, circular hole; a metal barrier surrounds this somewhat smaller crater. There is no fire here, though it too offers a strong smell of gas. Second, one lies some 18km south of Darvaza, on the west side of the main road and just about visible from it. This crater has neither fire nor a particularly pungent smell. Instead, it is partly filled with water, through which gas bubbles gently up. The settlement was once the site of a sulphur works, which closed in the 1960s. Prospecting for gas during the Soviet period has resulted in a curious series of sights around the area: several large, circular craters, one of which is aflame. To reach the flaming crater, a 4×4 is essential, as is a good driver who knows the route. The gas crater is roughly circular in plan, some 60m in diameter. Its floor crackles with hundreds of small fires, the flames fiercest around the edge. Dinner at Gas Crater. Overnight in a camp/ tents.

Darwaza – Kunya Urgench

After breakfast at Darwaza, drive to Kone-Urgench (261km, 4:35 min), Lunch at Kone-Urgench city.  Drive to Kone Urgench (UNESKO 2005) ancient capital of Khorezm.  Visit mausoleums of II Arslan and Soltan Tekesh, Nejmeddin Kubra, Soltan Ali, Turabek –Khanum (12th c), minaret of Kutlug Timur, Mamun II. After excursion, drive to Dashoguz city for hotel accommodation. Rest time. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at guesthouse.

Hojalili /Nukus border 

After breakfast, hotel check out. Drive to Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan – Kone-Urgench/Hojalili border. End of the program.