TURKMENISTAN TOUR - Detailed Tour Itinerary

Day 01 Friday: Arrive Ashgabat
Hosh Geldinis – We welcome you to Turkmenistan! You will be received at that airport and transferred to the hotel. Remainder of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 02 Saturday: Ashgabat
Ashgabat City Tour. The Capital city of Turkmenistan Ashgabat was founded in 1881 as a military fort. After more than century, the small town has grown into a prosperous city with a population of 450,000.
Amongst the places to see during the morning city tour include:
The Tower of Neutrality and the Arch of Neutrality built in 1998. The height of the Arch is 75 m with the golden statue of the President that rotates per 24 hours.
Lenin Square with the statue of Lenin built in 1927.
Orthodox Church of Alexander Nevsky built in the end of 19th century. After the Bolshevik Revolution the church was used as storehouse for some time. Only recently it was returned to the Christians.
Ertogrulgazi Mosque is the biggest mosque in Turkmenistan with symbolic 4 minarets and a big dome. It was built in 1997.
In the afternoon an optional tour to the National Museum of History & Ethnography and the archeological site of Nissa is available.
National Museum of History and Ethnography has a rich collection of ancient artifacts from Turkmenistan. More than 500,000 exhibits are displayed here in 9 halls. The highlight of the museum is a collection of ivory, discovered during the excavations at the Old Nissa, residence of Parthian kings from the Arshakid Dynasty.
The Archaeological site of Nissa includes the remains of Old and New Nissa. The city was an important centre of the Parthian State, which existed from the 3rd century BC up to the 3rd century AD. As the archaeological research shows, the township of New Nissa was the centre of the Parthian City. It was inhabited up to the 16th - 17th centuries. Old Nissa was a royal residence of the Parthian kings with the palace and temple, the depositories and the treasury.
During the archaeological excavations about 2700 texts inscribed with black paint on the clay vessels fragments were discovered. The written language used in Nissa was of the Aramaic origin. It dates back to the 2nd century BC.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 03 Sunday: Ashgabat
Visit the "Talkuchka" (from the Russian word tolkat meaning to push), the Sunday Bazaar. Whatever you want is sold at Talkuchka. The selection is far wider and the prices far lower than anywhere else in Central Asia. Most carpets sold to tourist in Bukhara and Samarkand come from here.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 04 Monday: Ashgabat/Mary
Morning drive to Mary.
Afternoon tour to see the ancient Merv. The "Queen of Cities" as it was known in the Islamic world, Merv was considered as the second city after Baghdad between the 8th and 13th centuries. It was an important town on the Great Silk Road. The city was sacked and burnt several times during the various invasions. It was destroyed by the hordes of Genghiz Khan's army, which had burnt down a library said to have then 150,000 books. Places you will visit during the tour include:
Erk Kala. A giant circular clay rampart that is all that remains of what was a 6th century BC fortress. It forms part of the north side of Giaur Kala, the Seleucid city founded in the 3rd century BC then known as Margiana. The name "Giaur Kala" came later and it means "Castle of the Infidels".
Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, completed in 1140 AD is an impressive building of exquisite brickwork and is visible from quite a distance.
Kyz Kala, an unusual windowless castle outside the city wall, was nicknamed "the house of maidens' tears" when Sultan Sanjar started using it for intimate gatherings in which all the guests were men and all the women were slaves.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05 Tuesday: Mary/Ashgabat
Morning tour of Merv. Afternoon return to Asgabat.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 06 Wednesday: Ashgabat/Dashoguz
Morning transfer to the airport for a short flight to Dashoguz.
On arrival proceed for the Kunya Urgench Tour.
Situated across the Amu-Darya (Oxus River), Kunya Urgench was once the Capital of Khorezm, known as Gurganj. The town has seen historic times of growth as well as destruction. Once known as ‘the pearl of Khorezm’ it was in the 13th century burnt to ashes by the armies of Genghiz Khan. Later, Kunya Urgench was rebuilt (ironically by the descendents of Genghiz Khan) and again became the capital of Khorezm. It grew into one of the major Central Asian cities. In 1388 Tamerlane, considering the city as a rival to Samarkand completely destroyed it. Well-known scientists such as Al-Khorezmi, Al-Beruni, Abu-Ali-ibn-Sina (Avicenna) and Al-Hammar lived and created their works here.
We can see today the mausoleums from pre Mongol period like that of Nadjim-ud-din Kubra. However the later Mongol period tomb of Tjurabeg Khanum strikes spectators look by its proportional correlations. Also preserved is a Caravanserai dating from the same period and a 62 meter minaret with winding brick staircase.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 07 Thursday: Dashoguz/Ashgabat
Morning at leisure.
Later flight to Ashgabat.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08 Friday: Depart Ashgabat
Farewell after a fascinating trip. Transfer to airport for your departure flight.
End of the tour.

End of the tour.

Extensions:
If you wish to continue your tour of Central Asia we recommend...

Uzbekistan Tour
Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan Tour
Silk Road China & Pakistan Tour
Pakistan - Afghanistan Tour
Pakistan: Shangrila Hunza Tour
Pakistan: Kalash to Khyber Tour
Pakistan: Ancient Cultures Tour

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TURKMENISTAN TOUR DETAILS - 2008

2008 DEPARTURE DATES
Language	Dates
English	Jan 11, Feb 8, Mar 7, Apr 11, May 2, Jun 6, Jul 4, Aug 8, Sep 5, Oc t 3, Nov 7, Dec 12
French	available upon request, please contact us
German	available upon request, please contact us
Italian	available upon request, please contact us

2008 PRICES (IN EURO €)
Tour	Cost (€)	Single Sup (€)	Domestic Air (€)
Turkmenistan Tour	632	108	46 - ASB/TAZ/ASB

Tour Includes	Tour Does NOT Include
Accomodation as per the list provided. Meals: Breakfast daily. Private air-conditioned transport for all transfers and city tours. Porter charges at airports and hotels. Entrance fees to museums and sites during tours. Depending on the language selected, English, French, Italian or German speaking guides. Domestic trainfares where applicable.	Airfares, domestic or international. Cost for Air travel as per itinerary is quoted separately. Visa support and visa fees. Airport departure tax. Personal insurance.

* Domestic air fares subject to change.

2008 Stopover packages. Cost Per Night Per Person in EURO (€)
City	First Night (€)	Add Night (€)	Single Sup. (€)
Ashgabat	49	38	23
Cost Includes
Accomodation for one night. Meals half board: Breakfast and Dinner daily. Private air-conditioned transport for transfer airport to hotel or vice versa. Porter charges at airports and hotel.

HOTELS
City	Hotel
Ashgabat	Kopetdag/Ahal
Dashoguz	Uzboy
Mary	Caravan Rohat

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