Tour to the Past

Tour 3: Tour to the Past
Duration: 9 days
In short: Ashgabat – Turkmenbashi – Mary – Merv – Margush – Kone Urgench – Darwaza – Ashgabat – Jygyldyk bazaar – Seyitjemaleddin Mosque – Ashgabat

Day 1: Ashgabat
Guide will meet you at the airport and drive to a hotel. You will spent night in the hotel. 

Day 2: Ashgabat – Turkmenbashi
You will have local morning flight to Turkmenbashi. By reaching the city you will be drive to the hotel for the check-in.  After it you will drive to the Yangykala canyon. It will take170 km and 3 hours to drive. The word Yangykala means “fire fortresses” from Turkmen. And this name is completely suitable for it. When you will see its wonderful sheer cliffs of white, yellow, ocher, purple and red colors, fancily carved by winds and rains, are very similar to the stone castles from a fantasy. The most beautiful canyons are during sunset, at this time everything has red hot color. Drive back to the Turkmenbashi city. Night is in the hotel. 

Day 3: Turkmenbashi – Mary
Morning flight to the Ashgabat. There you will continue your tour by driving to the Gokdepe village. There you will enjoy horse farm and see the pride of Turkmen people – Ahalteke horses. The equestrian of Ahalteke horses will demonstrate you their skills in riding. Only those experienced in riding will be allowed to ride horse of this breed. After it you will drive to Ashgabat. Having lunch and then driving to the Mary province. On the way you will visit Abiverd fortress. The ancient settlement Abiverd is one of eight historical reserves of Turkmenistan along with Kunya-Urgench, Nisa, Merv, Dehistan etc.Night is in the hotel. 

Day 4: Mary – Merv – Mary
Morning drive to ancient Merv. The first mention of this city was found in Avestian chronicles of the 8th -6th centuries B.C. Chroniclers made extensive use of vivid epithets, calling it “the soul of the king, the mother of the cities of Khorasan and the city in which the universe is located. Here lived Omar Khayyam, As - Samani, Imamaddin-Isfahani and other great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Modern ruins include at least five ancient settlements - Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Sultan-Kala, Abdullahan-Kala and Bayramalikhan-Kala.  Not many things were saved and most of them look like sagged hills. But even with such situation it still one of the most unique historical monuments. After your returning to the city and having lunch, you will visit the national museum of Mary city, and the local market where you can buy souvenirs or other stuff. Night is in the hotel.  

Day 5: Mary – Margush – Ashgabat
Your next destination is Margush. It was flourishing ancient kingdom in the Mary region. It was confirmed by archeological dig that this kingdom existed 5 000 years ago.  The people who lived there were jack of all trade, they were engaged in agriculture. They also had their own written language. Thus, the historian proved the existence of this center of ancient civilization, as well as India, Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. Return to Ashgabat. Overnight is in the hotel. 

Day 6: Ashgabat – Kone Urgench – Darwaza
Flight from Ashgabat to the Dashoguz region. After landing you will be transferred to ancient Kone-Urgench. This sight is one of the most remarkable in the Turkmenistan. Kone-Urgench studded with architectural masterpieces, including the minaret, which is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.  In the ancient time it had another name – Gurganj. It was located in the Dashoguz velayat in north-western Turkmenistan, on the left bank of the former Amyderya River. Gurganj was the capital of the Khorezm region, the origins of which go back to the 6th- 7th centuries BC and the early Achaemenid period. It had very convenient position geographic location at the crossing of two major caravan routes: west to east from Europe to China and from the south to the northwest to the Volga River.  Continue to the one of the most popular site of the Turkmenistan – Gas Crater or Gate of the Hell. You will be amazed by the bewitching view of it. But not many have an idea how this wonder appeared, located in 266km to the north of Ashgabat city. Tours to Darvaza crater are organized for the evening time, so you will enjoy a fascinating view of the sunset that slowly opens up vividly burning flames of the crater. Night is in the tent.

Day 7: Darwaza –Ashgabat
You will drive to Ashgabat after having breakfast in picnic style. Drive to the hotel for taking a shower and leaving your bags. Second half of the day will be visiting Old Nisa. Drive 18 km west of Ashgabat overlooking the ruins of Nisa, the capital of ancient Parthia, which existed at the turn of the 1st millennium BC and the 1st millennium AD. In the III century BC New Nisa was the capital of Parthia, and the fortress Old Nisa was the imperial residence of the time. Then you will visit Russian Bazaar, was built in the period of 1972—1982 by the design of the Russian architect Vladimir Visotin among other buildings that were included in the "Ashgabat Reconstruction Program of 1970-1980." Construction was completed in Soviet Modernism style and decorated by the Turkmen sculptor Klych Yarmamedov who adored the building with a great abstract sculpture placed in one of the building's corners. This bazaar still popular and regularly visited by foreign delegations, despite of despite being built new stores and malls in Ashgabat.  You can find here practically everything. In 2001 it was reconstructed by the Turkish company Ekol, with updated outlets, shops and foodstalls. The complex was covered with white marble. In 2007, there was a fire in the clothing section of the market. 

Day 8: Ashgabat – Jygyldyk bazaar – Seyitjemaleddin Mosque – Ashgabat
Morning drive to visit Jygyldyk bazaar. The eastern bazaar is one of the pillars of the eastern tradition. Trade is the art here. Everything you wish can buy here. Turkmen carpets are for sale everywhere and are not surprising, due to its beauty of all oriental carpets and true miracle created by Turkmen women. In the afternoon will be a trip to the village of Anev to visit the mausoleum of Seyitzhemallleddin. The mosque here was erected, according to inscriptions on it in 1456, when Abu l-Kasim Baber Bahadurkhan ruled in Khorasan (1446-1457). It was constructed by the vizier of Bahadurkhan Muhammad Khudaydot, who also chose the place of built - next to the grave of his father, Sheikh Jamaleddin, a native of Anau. Prior to this, Sheikh Jamaleddin was never mentioned in Sufi sources of the 15th century. But academician G.A. Pugachenkova studied the inscriptions on the face of the mosque, suggested that the ambiguous nature of the language, the author of the lines managed to perpetuate her father. He took the first part of his father’s name - “Jemal” (that is, beauty) - and used it in the phrase “Dor-ul-Jamal”, which has two meanings: “house of beauty” and “cloister of Jemal”. Night is in the hotel. 

Day 9: Flight
In the morning is transfer to airport.

Price per person:
02 pax –1 500 $
04 pax – 1 225 $
06 pax – 1 095 $
08 pax – 1 050 $
10 pax – 1 025 $
Single – 160 $

Early check-in – 60 $
Single early check-in – 150 $ 

Half board – 90 $
Full board – 170 $

Service includes:
- Transport
- Accommodation:
      Ashgabat – “Menzil” Hotel 3*
      Turkmenbashi – “Turkmenbashi” Hotel 5*
      Mary – “Merv” Hotel 3*
      Darwaza – Tents with dinner
- Visa support
- Domestic flights
- English speaking guide
- Entrances to all museums
- Mineral water during the tour            

Service does not include:
- Visa
- Full board
- Single rooms   
- Early check-in
- Travel insurance
- Migration tax (12$)
- Fee for using cameras on monuments

Note: Each Traveler should have 2 photos (5×6) to be presented at the points of entry.

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