TECHNICAL TOUR OCTOBER 27-29, 2017 Along with the business part of the Plenary Meeting, the hosts have organized interesting and useful travel in , so-called “technical tours”. In addition to close acquaintance with historical artifacts at , , and Tashkent, participants will have the opportunity to see in action the potential of Uzbekistan in the sphere of the production of cotton and textile products. Interested participants and guests will be able to visit Uzbek farms, as well as operating cotton gins, textile mills, get acquainted with the functioning of the "Sifat" fiber quality laboratories and the storage of bales of cotton fiber at terminals. During the tour, participants will see how the textile manufacture is being performed, as well as the evaluation of the quality of cotton products. We hope that the technical tour will provide a unique opportunity for you to discover Uzbekistan, looking from ancient times into the future, relying on the diligence, knowledge and talents of its workers. For further details and reservations of tours please contact: Khayotkhon Alimov Leading specialist Cotton Fiber Export Department Mob: (+99897) 7386768 Work phone: (+99871) 2024200 (int.161) Email: [email protected] SAMARKAND Samarkand is one o f the oldest cities in the world with 2750years of history, the same age as Rome, Athens and Babylon. The city is located on the middle flow of the Zarafshan River, in the heart of Uzbekistan. In ancient times, it was the capital of the powerful state ofSogd. At the entrance to the city there are preserved ruins o f Afrasiab, the location o f the ancient city Marakanda, which is associated with the Central Asian campaigns o f Alexander the Great. In Samarkand, an incredible number o f monuments of architectural heritage of the Middle Ages can be found: Gur Emir (the tomb ofTimurids), the mausoleum ofShahiZinda (ensemble o f mausoleums o f the Samarkand nobility), Square (front square area), Bibihanym mausoleum, the Ulugbek observatory and others.

KHIVA Khiva - the pearl o f the Khorezm oasis, has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The first mention of Khiva occurs in the 1 Oth century. From the 17th to the early 19th century, Khiva was the capital o f the Khiva Khanate and an important center o f cultural life. Khiva was one o f the geographical points on the Great . Merchants from these places were waited in many cities, the best furs and fabrics were traditionally considered as a Khorezm origin. In this huge architectural reserve many , mausoleums, madrasahs have been well preserved. The most notable are the citadel ofKunya- Ark, the remains of the Tash-Hauli palace, the mausoleum ofPakhlavan Mahmud (17th century), the madrasah of the ruler Allakulihan, the of Khoja and other monuments o f antiquity.

BUKHARA Bukhara's age exceeds 2,500years. Bukhara-i- sharif - lioble and sacred" this is one o f the many titles awarded to this ancient city. Great poets o f the East o f the 9th and 10th centuries Rudaki, Dakiki, Firdausi dedicated poems to it. In the 10th century, the history of Bukhara was written. The carefully preserved architectural heritage o f Bukhara is a rare combination of monuments of different epochs, characterizing the development of architectural art of building for twenty- five centuries. The Ark Fortress (citadel and stronghold of the last emirs), the Lyabi House ensemble (ancient madrasahs grouped around the Nadir-Begi basin), the , the Kalyan minaret, the Chor- bakr necropolis, the Gaukushon complex and others are worthy of special attention. Most of them are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.