Jewels of Persia
Tehran to Tashkent

Tour operates: March until November

No. of days: 20 nights 21 days

Destinations: Tehran- Kashan-Abyaneh-Isfahán-Yazd-Shiraz-Pasargadae-Persepolis-Mashhad-Ashgabad-Mary-Bukhara-Samarkand-Tashkent

Transport: Private air conditioned transport, economy class domestic flights

Accommodations: All comfortable class accommodation with private facilities
Guides: Fully escorted by our English speaking guides in each country

Tour starting and end point: Tehran or vice versa

Guaranteed departure: Daily- Minimum 2 people required

Day by day itinerary

Day 01: Arrival Tehran

Upon arrival, meet your guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel.Tehran is the capital city of Iran, Tehran is a diverse and beautiful city combining the ancient civilisation of Iran with modern developments and living. It is positioned at the base of the Alborz mountain range in Northern Iran and is home to the usual tourist attractions such as museums, shopping centres.  Tehran with its numerous museums houses the most important collection of recent and remote Persian art and culture.
Overnight in Hotel (D)

Day 02: Tehran City Tour

Full day city tour of Tehran.A visit to the prehistoric National Museum of Iran. This museum houses a marvellous collection including ceramics, potteries, stone figures and carvings dating from around the 7th millennium BC. A visit to Ceramic & Glassware Museum (Abgineh Museum) followed by the Carpet Museum.  Here you will have access to many of the masterpieces woven in the important carpet-weaving centres of Iran.  The beautiful architecture and façade of the museum resembles a carpet-weaving loom.

***Please note: our schedule to visit museums may vary depending on museum hours/days and when they are open to the public.
Overnight Tehran (BD)

Day 03: Tehran to Kashan-Abyaneh

In the morning drive to Kashan. This attractive oasis city was once a favorite of Shah Abbas I.Kashan is also home to some of the best traditional houses such as Brujerdi House (a Samovar merchant), as well as beautiful gardens such as Fin Garden. En route we can have stop in Qom for an outside view of the holy shrine.Later drive to Abyaneh.
Overnight at hotel (BD)

Day 04: Abyaneh- Isfaha

Visit Abyaneh.Abyaneh is a small picturesque village dating back 1600 years
Drive to Isfahan, en route visiting Natanzjaame mosque.
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 05: Isfahan

Isfahan is Iran’s masterpiece, the jewels of Historical Persia and one of the finest cities in the Islamic world.  The exquisite blue mosaic tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, its expansive bazaar and the city’s gorgeous bridges demand as much of your time as you can spare.  The history of the city dates back to 2700 years ago. It was the capital of Iran in a number of the post-Islamic periods, but its golden age was during the Safavid dynasty in 17th century.  Isfahan with numerous monuments for which it is world-famous has the greatest attractions for tourists.  It is really a museum in the open air.
Full day tour of Isfahan magnificent buildings; some of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture including the Royal (Naqsh-e-Jahan) square, the Shah Abbas Jameh mosque & Sheikh Lotfullah mosques, Ali-Qapu Palace & free time for Bazaar spanning 5 km.  In the evening an optional visit to a Zoorkhaneh (House of Strength) to watch this traditional Iranian sport - a combination of physical and spiritual aerobics, with participants chanting to the powerful drums of their master .
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 06: Isfahan

City tour of Isfahan - A visit to the Armenian quarter to tour theVank Cathedral, built between 1606 and 1655 and the Zayandehrud river.
Chehel Sotun Palace (forty column) with its beautiful frescos located in a pretty garden is our next stop.  Shah Abbas II originally built it as a pleasure pavilion and reception hall.  On to Jame Mosque, a veritable museum of Islamic architecture, displaying styles from the 11th to the 18th centuries.
Evening tour of Isfahan including Si-o-Se &Khaju bridges
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 07: Isfahan-Yazd

Drive to Yazd, Yazd is still home to Iran’s largest community of Zoroastrians, and the best place to visit an Ateshkadeh (House of Eternal Fire) and the Towers of Silence, the Zoroastrian burial grounds. Although the temple is modern (built in the 1940s), the sacred fire has been burning since 470 AD.  Yazd is also an ancient city with its unique desert architecture and its “Badgirs”, the wind towers designed to catch and circulate the merest breath of wind.  The mosques of Yazd are like no others and the magnificent Jame Mosque dominates the old city.  Its remarkably high, tiled entrance, flanked with two magnificent minarets and adorned with an inscription from the 15th century, is simply superb.  This city has always been a great weaving center, known for its silks and other fabrics even before Marco Polo passed through along one of the Silk Routes in the late 13th century. Dolat Abad Garden, Water Museum and a traditional house are among the other visits. The stunning three-storey façade of the Tekiyeh in the Amir Chakhmaq Complex at sunset is one of the most spectacular features of Yazd.
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 08: Yazd-Shiraz-Pasargadae

Drive to Shiraz en-route we will stop at Pasargadae, Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization.
Later drive to Shiraz
Overnight Shiraz (BD).

Day 09: Shiraz

Shiraz, the city of nightingales, poetry and roses is the center of Fars Province.
City tour of Shiraz including a visit to Narenjestan or Orange Garden built in 1879-1886 as a reception hall for visitors and was also used as the governor’s residence during the late Qajar period. Also included is Khan theological school and Bazaar, then enjoy tea and ice cream while listening to recitals in traditional teahouse of the mausoleum of the famous Iranian poet Hafez.
Overnight at hotel (BD)

Day 10: Shiraz (visit Persepolis)

Today we check out in the morning and travel to Peresepolis, 65 KM to the north east. 
Fars province is greatly indebted to the settlement of the Achaemenid and Sassanian dynasties for its glorious cultural heritage. Scattered all over the territory of Fars are monuments materializing the rapid progress of the province in both pre-Islamic and Islamic era.
Morning excursion to Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid), Necropolis (Naghsh-e-Rostam) and Naqsh-e Rajab (about 70 km per way).
A visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis is one of the highlights of any trip to Iran.  Persepolis is the best preserved of Persia’s ruined cities and the finest legacy of the great Achaemenid Empire which ruled Persia between 559 and 330 BC.  The most impressive features of the ruins are the splendid bas-reliefs, which adorn many of the staircases and palaces on the site and provide a rich treasure house of ancient history.
At Necropolis you will find the tomb of the three powerful Achaemenian Kings carved into huge rocks overlooking one of the oldest Zoroastrian fire temples.
Later return to Shiraz, in the afternoon transfer to the airport for flight to Mashhad
Ovenright in hotel (BD)

Day 11: Mashhad

Mashhad lies on the site where Emam Reza, a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed and the 8th Shiite Imam, died in 817AD. Heir to the Abbasid caliphate, Emam Reza was poisoned by the then ruling caliph, Ma’mun and his shrine survived the onslaughts of Mongols and Uzbeks, until in the 16th century, under the rule of the Safavids, the city became a centre of pilgrimage for the Shia faithful.
We will visit Mashhad bazaar, Goharshad mosque and KoohSangi Park.Later in the afternoon we drive to Neishabur, which was once a literary, artistic and academic centre. It is famous for the shrine of the poet, Omar Khayyam who died in 1123. On the way, stop at an old caravanserai which has been restored, and wander through the streets of a nearby village where some of the famous Persian carpets are woven
Overnight in hotel (BLD)

Day 12: Mashhad-Ashgabad

In the morning transfer to Iran Turkmen border at Gaudan, where you will be met by our Turkmen guide, meet and assist later drive to Ashgabad.
Depending on the schedule,possible half day city tour of Ashgabad includingTolkuchka Bazaar. We continue to Old Nisa - ancient Parthian settlement and the Spiritual Mosque of Turkmenbashi. Overnight in hotel (B)

Day 13: Ashgabad- Darwaza Gas Crater

Today we visit the National Museum of History & Ethnography of Turkmenistan.
In the afternoon drive to Darwaza Gas Crater, en-route we visit a Nomad village, Karakum desert andcontinue driving to Darwaza flaming gas crater or the ‘mouth of hell’.It has become one of the most extraordinary sites in the country, which has one of the most apocalyptic landscape in the world. The crater is about 60 meters wide and 20 meters deep. Later return to Ashgabad Overnight in hotel (BLD)

Day 14: Ashgabad-Mary

Free morning later in the afternoon transfer to the airport for short flight to Mary upon arrival at Mary transfer to the hotel
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 15: Mary-Bukhara

There will be plenty of time to see this historically important site, one of the most significant in Turkmenistan and indeed in central Asia. The site consists of a series of towns each succeeded by another throughout the course of history and contains, amongst other things, the remains of Erk Kala and it’s citadel and the Musoleum of Sultan Sanjar.
Later in the afternoon transfer to Turkmen Uzbek border at Ferhab for Bukhara
Bukhara is one of the centere of the Russian/British Intelligence Services in the 19th Century.Overnight in Hotel (B)

Day 16: Bukhara

Today we explore the old quarter on foot. Bukhara is an ancient city with its bustling "trade domes," active mosques, and the Kalyan Minaret ("tower of death"), one of Central Asia's tallest. We'll stroll around the streets and visit the old town center where old men with long white beards gossip for hours while drinking tea. Bukhara has been designated a World Heritage Site; the resulting restoration of some of the mosques, constructed in the 11th to 15th centuries, to make them appear as if they were built yesterday. There are even some structures still standing that date back to Zorastrian times 2,500 years ago.
We also visit The Ark, a large fortress with the Emir's open-air throne room and the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, an intricate and beautiful 10th century brick structure that is nicely preserved. We'll also venture to the outskirts of Bukhara and visit the summer palace of the last emir, built by a Russian Czar with grand halls and a harem. We will also see Char Minar, a gate of an ancient madrassa long time gone. It was built in 1809 and has more in common with Indian art styles than local.
Overnight in hotel (BLD)

Day 17: Bukhara

Full free day at leisure in Bukhara.
Overnight in Hotel (BD)

Day 18: Samarkand via Shakhrisabz

Travel to Samarkand via Shakrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane. We visit Tamerlane’s palace AkSarai, the KokGumbaz mosque, Mausoleum of Jehangir (Tamerlane’s grandson) and Tamerlane’s Mausoleum.
Later continue to Samarkand, for most people Samarkand is as mythical as Atlantis or as remote and legendary as Timbouctou. The sublime larger-than-life monuments of Timur, the technicolour bazaar and the city's long, rich history work a special kind of magic. On arrival we'll visit the old bazaars for which this exotic city is famous for.
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 19: Samarkand

Samarkand, sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Orient' was already flourishing when Rome and Babylon were founded. During the course of our full day tour we visit the famous Registan Square, BibiKhanum Mosque, Mausoleum of Tamerlane and the Observatory of Ulughbek; the site where UlegBek, grandson of Tamerlane, made some of the greatest achievements of the pre-telescope era of astronomy in the 15th century. We also visit the regal mausoleums of Shah-I Zinda, site of Central Asia's most sacred Islamic shrine, the massive mosque of BibiKhanym, and the adjacent colorful market. You can purchase Samarkand's famous bread which Alexander the Great unsuccessfully tried to have duplicated back home in Greece, or try some of the region's local produce, from grapes to the world's tastiest melons of multiple varieties. Our afternoon tour covers the Afrosiab Museum, located on the site of ancient.
Overnight in hotel (BD)

Day 20: Tashkent

Scenic drive along the eastern spurs of the Pamir Ranges to Tashkent.
We continue on a city tour of Tashkent visiting mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools) housing craft workshops dating from the 14th century. We visit the Kukeldashmedressa, a grand 16th century academy undergoing restoration; the History Museum of Uzbekistan and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Overnight in hotel (BLD)

Day 21: Onward flight

Our service will end with airport transfer. (B)