May 2 - Samarkand & Drive to Bukhara

Day 18

Thursday, May 2

SAMARKAND ● DRIVE TO BUKHARA   This morning, when the light is best, visit the spectacular funerary complex of Shah-i-Zinda. Many consider this largely un-renovated complex to be Samarkand’s most moving sight, here you see the city’s finest majolica tile work. The innermost and holiest shrine is thought to be the tomb of Qusam ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed. This is also thought to be among the oldest standing buildings in the city, and is of course, an important pilgrimage site. A majority of the tombs belong to Timur and Ulug Beg’s family and favorites; the tomb of Timur’s niece is particularly stunning, but one is hard-pressed to determine a favorite as it is entirely magnificent.

Afterwards, drive on to Bukhara which, unlike Samarkand, is a living museum and the buildings that you visit, the mosques, madrasas, khans, hammams, and khanqas were all built by Abdullah Khan II.

Bukhara was Central Asia’s holiest Muslim city, and its richest bazaar. Its emir (who ruled until 1920, though the Russians arrived in 1868) was traditionally and inventively inhospitable to heathens; more than one passerby was cast into a snake-filled pit before Alexander “Bukhara” Burns got in and out unpunctured in the 1830s and became a Victorian superstar. The duo of British army officers Stoddart and Connolly were not—both died at the hands of the emir after having been toyed with over months by the ruthless and capricious Khan. Locals often fared little better; the stone below the Tower of Death is supposedly hollowed by the impact of miscreants hurled from above.

Arrive late this afternoon with time to freshen up before dinner is served in the courtyard of your charming hotel.