Arts & Traditions Along the Silk Road: Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia Dear Traveler, Please join Museum Travel Alliance from March 12-26, 2021 on Arts & Traditions Along the Silk Road: Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia. Observe the ancient traditions of Nowruz (Persian New Year) in Bukhara, visiting private family homes to participate in elaborate ceremonies not often seen by travelers. Join the director for exclusive, after-hours access to Gur-e-Amir, the opulent tomb of Mongol conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane) in Samarkand. Explore the vast archaeological site of Afrasiab, and marvel at the excavated treasures in its dedicated museum in the company of a local archaeologist. We are delighted that this trip will be accompanied by Helen Evans as our lecturer from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This trip is sponsored by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We expect this program to fill quickly. Please call the Museum Travel Alliance at (855) 533-0033 or (212) 302-3251 or email [email protected] to reserve a place on this trip. We hope you will join us. Sincerely, Jim Friedlander President MUSEUM TRAVEL ALLIANCE 1040 Avenue of the Americas, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10018 | 212-302-3251 or 855-533-0033 | Fax 212-344-7493 [email protected] | www.museumtravelalliance.com BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Travel with March 12–26, 2021 The Met BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Arts & Traditions Along the Silk Road: Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia with Dr. Helen C. Evans, Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters When you make a new reservation on this program, your payments will be fully refundable until 60 days prior to departure. BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Arts & Traditions Along the Silk Road: Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia Dear Members and Friends of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Each year on the spring equinox, more than 300 million people worldwide celebrate Nowruz (Persian New Year), a 3,000-year-old festival meaning “new day” in Farsi. As Nowruz festivities enliven the streets of Central Asia, join me next March for two weeks along a fascinating stretch of the legendary Silk Road in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. A cultural crossroads between East and West, this region holds ancient treasures once revered by Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, later concealed behind the Iron Curtain. As a Byzantine art scholar who has led previous tours along these historic pathways, I am excited to introduce you to these countries’ superb art, marvelous blue-tiled mosques, Buddhist and Zoroastrian temples, medieval Jewish quarters, and spellbinding landscapes. With spring flowers, BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB including Central Asia’s native tulips, in bloom, we will behold the region’s marvelous natural beauty. We will also visit private family homes to participate in Nowruz traditions not often Traveling with You experienced by travelers. Dr. Helen C. Evans We will begin in the ancient Uzbek city of Tashkent, a former Silk Road trading post, to tour Dr. Helen C. Evans is the Mary and Michael an excellent museum, wander a vibrant bazaar in the company of an award-winning chef, and Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art in the meet an Uzbek ceramicist whose family has created wonderful pottery since the 1790s. We will Department of Medieval Art and The travel to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, unforgettable Cloisters at The Met. Her exhibitions— cities dotted with kaleidoscopic mosques, centuries-old madrasahs, and opulent monuments. including Armenia! (2018), Byzantium and In Samarkand, a phenomenal highlight will be exclusive after-hours access to the ornately Islam (2012), Byzantium: Faith and Power decorated tomb of Mongol conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane), led by the director. We will (2004), and The Glory of Byzantium (1997)— conclude amid the domes and towering minarets of Ashgabat, where we will marvel at a have explored the importance of Byzantine When you make a new reservation on this program, your payments will be fully refundable until 60 days prior to departure. diverse array of intricately designed Turkmen carpets in a magnificent museum. art and its connections beyond its borders as far as China.. Dr. Evans received her B.A. with I hope you join me for this once-in-a-lifetime journey during a wondrous time of spring celebration. Honors from Newcomb College of Tulane University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from The Sincerely, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Dr. Helen C. Evans Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters The Metropolitan Museum of Art BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Trip Highlights — Immerse yourself in the ancient traditions of Nowruz (Persian New Year) in Bukhara, visiting private family homes to participate in elaborate ceremonies not often seen by travelers, and gather for a memorable dinner of sumptuous delicacies — Follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo and ancient traders along a fascinating stretch of the legendary Silk Road, discovering art and architectural treasures in timeless Central Asian towns, and experience unsung history in medieval Jewish quarters — Join the director for exclusive, after-hours access to the opulent tomb of Mongol conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane) in fabled Samarkand, marveling at the blue-glazed mosaics of the vault walls and the spectacular rosettes on the dome — Observe extraordinary artisans at work in private studios and workshops, including a sixth- generation Uzbek ceramicist whose family has created stunning works of art since the 1790s and a master marionette-maker creating traditional Uzbek puppets before your eyes — Explore ancient Afrasiab, a vast city destroyed by the Mongols and one of the world’s largest archaeological sites. Marvel at ceramics, jewelry, and colorful murals from palaces excavated from ruins on an exclusive tour of the site’s museum in the company of a local archaeologist State Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, Tashkent BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB KAZAKHSTAN UZBEKISTAN Dashoguz KYRGYZSTAN Tashkent Bukhara Samarkand TURKMENISTAN Penjikent Caspian Sea TAJIKISTAN Ashgabat IRAN AFGANISTAN Photos clockwise from top right: Ertuğrul Gazi Mosque, Ashgabat, photo by Costas Tavernarakis; Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent, photo by Dr. Thomas Liptak; Shah-i-Zinda Complex, Samarkand, photo by LBM1948; Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Bukhara, photo by Helen C, Evans; Khast Imam Square, Tashkent, photo by Martha de Jong-Lantink; Bolo Hauz Mosque, Bukhara; regional map. Front cover: Registan Square, Samarkand, photo by Ekrem Canli. Back cover: Bukhara, Uzbekistan (top); Hanging. early 19th century. Silk embroidery on cotton; couching, chain, satin, and buttonhole stitches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1907 [07.72] (bottom). BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Arts & Traditions Along the Silk Road March 12–26, 2021 Tashkent / Samarkand Sufi cloister. Watch the creation of traditional Tuesday, March 16 Uzbek puppets by a master marionette-maker Take a high-speed train to fabled Samarkand, at a private studio. In the 12th-century Jewish a legendary destination along the Silk Road. quarter, enter an age-old synagogue. Venture to Discover Registan Square and three centuries- the top floor of the Shukhov Water Tower, and old madrasahs, including one of the earliest enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres with panoramic Islamic astronomical observatories. Admire views of old and new Bukhara. B, L, R the tombs and mausoleums of the Shah-i- Zinda complex. Guided by the director, enjoy Bukhara Shah-i-Zinda Complex, Samarkand, © Monika Scherrer exclusive, after-hours access to Gur-e-Amir, the Saturday, March 20 ornate, turquoise-domed, tomb of Timur, the Visit the 10th-century Ismail Samani Departure conqueror who made Samarkand his capital. Mausoleum, the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, Friday, March 12 Return to the illuminated Registan Square and the Bolo Hauz Mosque. Lunch today Depart for Tashkent, Uzbekistan on an before dinner at leisure this evening. B, L includes a class on making plov, a meaty overnight flight. rice dish. After lunch, visit the Ark Citadel, Samarkand former residence of Bukhara’s rulers; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan Wednesday, March 17 see the infamous Zindan Prison. Next, visit