With tour leaders Ed Epp and Wilmer Martin

Mon-Wed, April 30-May 2
Our tour group will gather at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario, for an evening departure to London’s Heathrow Airport where we will land early Tuesday morning. We will take a connecting flight to Uzbekistan and arrive very early in the morning in Tashkent, which was thought to have been settled around first century BC. After a morning rest at our hotel, we will take a city tour in the afternoon. Places of interest will include Hasti Imam Complex, Chorsu Bazaar, Kukeldash Madrassah (Koran Academy), Applied Art Museum, Amir Temur Square, Monument of Courage and Peoples’ Friendship Square. In the evening, enjoy dinner and a folk show. Overnight in Tashkent.

Thursday, May 3
This morning we will fly to Bukhara, dating back to the 8th century. For 200 years it was the center of an expanding Islamic kingdom, and prospered as a trade and intellectual center for Central Asia. Visits are planned to Kalyan Minaret and Poi Kalyan Mosque, Miri-Arab Madrassah, Toki Zargaron Dome, Ulughbek and Abdullazizkhan Madrassah, Toki Telpak Furushon Dome, Magoki Attory Mosque, Toki Sarafon Dome, and Lyabi Hauz Complex. Overnight in Bukhara.

Friday & Saturday, May 4 & 5
We will travel by bus to Samarkand, one of the world’s oldest cities and Uzbekistan’s second largest city. You will be impressed with the beauty and splendor of the monuments and architecture. Visits are planned to the Hodja Daniyar Mausoleum, Hazrati Khizr Mosque and Rukhabad Mausoleum. We will have another day on Saturday for more sightseeing in this ancient city as we visit Registan Square with three madrassahs, Bibi Khanum Mosque and Siab Bazaar, Gur Emir Mausoleum, Shakhi Zinda Necropolis of Temurids, Ulugbek Observatory and Afrosiyab. Lodging in Samarkand for two nights.

Sunday & Monday, May 6 & 7
Sunday morning we will depart Samarkand for our drive to Tajikistan. At the border point in Jartepa, we will go through customs and immigration and change buses. Entering into Tajikistan you will experience life going back in time. We will travel approximately 70 kilometres from Samarkand to Penjikent, which is surrounded by mountains and lakes. It is another very ancient city and is one of Tajikistan’s largest. The main industry in the area is growing tobacco. Monday will also be spent in the Penjikent area seeing the ancient sites and present-day life. Two nights lodging in Penjikent.

Tuesday & Wednesday, May 8 & 9
Today you will enjoy a spectacular drive through the Zerafshan Valley, over the Shakhristan Pass to the city of Istarvshan, another city on the Great Silk Road where Alexander the Great once visited. After spending the night in this area, we will visit the Technological Center, a MEDA-sponsored program that just installed a Tetra-pack line for their juices. Then it’s on to Khujand for the night. Khujand is an important crossroads in the fertile Ferghana Valley, partly isolated from the rest of the country by high mountain ranges. We will be met by a MEDA staff person who will be our guide.

Thursday & Friday, May 10 & 11
Today we will visit MEDA projects in Isfara, two hours east of Khujand, where apricots are grown. We will visit small farms and see how they grow and pick fruit. Following the fruits to the processing plants, we’ll see how MEDA is trying to get the farmers of the Ferghana Valley back on the “silk road of trade” today. The valley is situated among the twisted borders and enclaves of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Returning to Khujand on Friday, we will travel through Kanibadam with many interesting museums, and will make a stop in this city.  Lodging in Khujand for the night.

Saturday & Sunday, May 12 & 13
Saturday we will drive back to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. There will be some time to visit sites missed at the beginning of our tour. An optional evening event could be attending a performance at the Alisher Navoi Theater—an opera or ballet. All too soon it will be Sunday morning and time for our flight back to North America, again via London. You will return with many memories, new understandings and new friendships. And you will see how being a part of MEDA makes a big difference in the lives of the people of Tajikistan!