MAXIMUM OF JUST 12 GUESTS The Silk Road: Ceiling detail, Empires of Central Asia Kunya Urgench May 22-June 7, 2022 (17 days | 12 guests) with archaeologist Aleksandr Naymark “I truly enjoyed the... ancient ruins while learning about the cultures of Central Asia.” - Edith, California © operator Archaeology-focused tours for the curious to the connoisseur. Archaeological Institute of America UZBEKISTAN Lecturer & Host Kunya Urgench Ellik Kala TASHKENT 3 KHIVA Dr. Aleksandr Naymark is an 2 archaeologist and Professor of Tashauz BUKHARA Fine Arts, Design, Art History SAMARKAND at Hofstra University in New 3 2 York. Born in Tashkent and TURKMENISTAN Paikent schooled in Moscow, Aleksandr ASHGABAT returned to Central Asia as a 21 Shahrisabz member of an archaeological Sea Nisa Caspian 2 expedition at the age of 14. Anau MARY Two years later he enrolled Merv Gonur-Depe in Tashkent University’s archaeology program, and in 1982 he graduated from Moscow University with an M.A. in Archaeology and an M.A. in Methods of Historical Source Studies. For eight subsequent years he worked in the Moscow Museum of Oriental Art, taking part in its Caucasian expeditions and directing its Central Asian expeditions. Between 1974 and 1991 Aleksandr participated in 31 historical excavations, 26 of which were in Central Asia; on eight of them he served as Director. In 1991, Aleksandr immigrated to the United Overnight Stays States, and the next year he enrolled in the Ph.D. # program at Indiana University, Bloomington, where Itinerary Stops he earned a dual degree in Central Eurasian Studies International Flights and Art History. From 1997 to 1999, Aleksandr Internal Flights was a Horstman Fellow affiliated with the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. Since 1999 Aleksandr has been teaching at Hofstra University. He also taught as a guest lecturer at Humboldt University, Berlin, and at Columbia University, New York; and he held the Shama Fellowship at Oxford University three times. Aleksandr has authored more than one hundred publications on Central Asian archeology, art, and numismatics. He Photos - Cover: (top) Kunya Urgench, Turkmenistan, one of recently started a new archaeological project on Yer- the major cities of the Great Silk Road; (bottom, left to right) Kurgan, the site of the capital of Sogdian Nakhshab Samarkand, a performance in Uzbekistan, Khiva, Bukhara. principality, in modern Uzbekistan. Below: Turkmenbashi, Ashgabat © BCTorrissen etrace the fabled Silk Road through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with archaeologist Aleksandr Naymark, following in the footsteps of silk traders who left China Ras early as 200 B.C. in great camel caravans for the 5,000-mile trek to the Mediterranean. This was also the road of Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, extending across vast deserts, mountains, and plains. Like the adventurers and merchants who have gone before us, we can anticipate breathtaking sights and a lively exchange of ideas and cultures along our route. Highlights: • Travel and learn with AIA lecturer and host Aleksandr Naymark, who will accompany you on daily excursions and give a series of lectures, as well as with professional local guides and a tour manager who will meticulously handle all travel arrangements. © JMoreau • Visit eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Turkmenistan’s Merv, Nisa, and Kunya Urgench; and Uzbekistan’s old Khiva (Itchan Kala), Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm (Ellik Kala), Bukhara, Shahrisabz, and Samarkand. • Explore the archaeological site of Anau, inhabited from the Neolithic through medieval periods; the ancient Zoroastrian center of Gonur-Depe; and Paikent, whose fortress walls date back to the 6th century B.C. • Discover fascinating museum collections, including Ashgabat’s National Museum of History and Ethnography, Bukhara’s Museum of National Crafts, and Samarkand’s Afrasiab History Museum. • Stroll through old town shops and bazaars, tour a © operator silk carpet factory, and enjoy a costume show and performances of traditional music and dance. • Admire stunning religious monuments and artifacts, such as the partially-preserved Uthman Koran (written on deerskin in the 7th century), considered by Sunni Muslims to be the world’s oldest Koran. • Maximum of just 12 guests! Photos (from top): Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Khiva, Uzbekistan; Kunya Urgench, Turkmenistan © operator For questions and reservations: 800-748-6262 | [email protected] | www.aiatours.org Itinerary B= Breakfast • L= Lunch • D= Dinner © Ziegler175 © Operator Left, Anau, Turkmenistan. Above, Merv, Turkmenistan Sunday, May 22, 2022 - Depart home Depart home on independent flights to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Monday May 23 - Ashgabat, TURKMENISTAN Arrive late this evening at Ashgabat International Airport (ASB), where you will be met and transferred to our elegant hotel in the heart of the city. Overnight at the Oguzkent Hotel (or similar) for two nights. Tuesday, May 24 - Ashgabat: AM at leisure, PM city tour | Welcome dinner Enjoy a leisurely morning to rest and adjust to the time difference. Gather in the early afternoon for an introductory lecture followed by a city tour of Ashgabat. The modern city of Ashgabat grew out of a village of the same name after the Russian conquest of the area. It developed around the fortress erected by military engineers and first was a typical garrison town, but being a capital of a Trans-Caspian province it quickly developed into a prosperous city. Unfortunately, little survived of it, as most of the buildings were leveled by an earthquake in 1948. It recovered in the following decades and recently has seen a boom in new construction. Underneath Ashgabat, however, are remnants of Konjikala, the ancient city destroyed by Mongols in the 13th century. Our exploration of the city includes a visit to the National Museum of History and Ethnography with its rich archaeological and anthropological collections. This evening gather for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, featuring a musical performance. (B,D) “The archaeological sites are the Wednesday, May 25 - Nisa | Anau | Fly to Mary things that caused me to select This morning we visit Old Nisa, the sacred fortress of Parthians and a UNESCO World this tour. The great buildings Heritage Site since 2007, where excavations revealed monumental structures of the 3rd- and ensembles of architectural 1st centuries B.C. devoted to the Imperial Dynastic Cult. It is situated 15 miles west of interest were such a thrill that I Ashgabat, near the early Parthian capital of Nisa, a site now known as New Nisa as it survived as an important center until the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. On the will never forget.” way back to Ashgabat we see the Kipchak Mosque, a $100-million-dollar mosque that - Charles, New York accommodates 10,000 people and is capped by a golden dome. Continue to the ruins of Anau, a site that was occupied from the Neolithic (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the medieval period (marked by the ruins of a 15th-century mosque), and where a Bronze Age proto-city (2300 B.C.) was recently discovered. Catch a short evening flight from Ashgabat to Mary. Check-in to our hotel in Mary’s center and gather for dinner this evening. Overnight at the Mary Hotel for two nights. (B,L,D) Thursday, May 26 - Gonur-Depe | Mary Today, make a full-day trip in 4x4 vehicles to the Bronze Age site of Gonur-Depe, which was discovered by Soviet archaeologists in the mid-20th century and is still undergoing excavation. Excavations revealed living quarters with mighty fortifications, a palace, a fire temple, and a necropolis. Return to Mary and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B,L,D) For questions and reservations: 800-748-6262 | [email protected] | www.aiatours.org Bukhara, Uzbekistan © Adam Jones Friday, May 27 - Merv | Mary | Fly to Ashgabat After an early breakfast at the hotel, take a morning excursion to the fertile oasis of Merv. Formed from the rich silt at the mouth of the Murghab River, where it soaks into the Kara Kum (Black Sands) Desert, the oasis was an early Bronze Age center. The great city of Merv served as an “Turkmenistan is Achaemenid provincial center as early as the 6th century B.C. and remained a major urban center very untouristed, throughout the Hellenistic, Parthian, Sasanian, and early Islamic periods, losing much of its with wonderful significance only after it was sacked and burned by the Mongols. The ruins of Merv were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and are famous for their wealth of archaeological archaeological sites materials. Afterwards, visit the Museum of History and Ethnography, housed in a 19th-century and an amazing merchant’s house, with displays of artifacts from Merv and Gonur-Depe as well as from other desert. Khiva is simply Turkmen archaeological sites. Take an afternoon flight back to Ashgabat and enjoy dinner at a local a magical place, while restaurant. Overnight at the Oguzkent Hotel (or similar). (B,L,D) Paikent is well off Saturday, May 28 - Fly to Tashauz | Kunya Urgench | Khiva, UZBEKISTAN Transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Tashauz, in northern Turkmenistan. Drive to Kunya the beaten track, and Urgench to visit the site of the ancient capital of Khorezm, which was razed by both Genghis Khan historically accurate.” and Tamerlane. About half a mile south of the town lie the remains of the UNESCO-listed old - Anne, Ontario city, including the 11th-century Kutlug-Timur Minaret, which was for many centuries the tallest in Central Asia. Also admire the domed hall of the Turabek Khanym Mausoleum, built for the daughter of one of the rulers of the Golden Horde. Continue on to the ancient Silk Road oasis of Khiva, crossing en route the Turkmen-Uzbek border, where we will change motor coach and driver. (Be prepared for lengthy administrative procedures at the border.) Arriving in Khiva, we check-in to our hotel and have dinner.