Day trip to Shakhrisabz from Samarkand Self-Guided tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The first stop is a photo opportunity to capture the unusual shapes of the stones, among which the heart-shaped stone is particularly well-known. This site is also popular among local residents, functioning as a small recreational park that offers activities such as a short zip line, sliding, and archery. During the Soviet era, this location was used as a filming site for the movie Apache. Travelers can also enjoy views of the snow-capped mountains, with snow typically visible from November to March.

   40 min

2. The second stop is the local market situated at the top of the Takhtakaracha Pass, where travelers can find a variety of dried fruits, mountain herbs, and traditional dried cheese. It is an excellent place to shop for local products or capture photographs of the vibrant market atmosphere. The peak of the pass stands at an elevation of more than 1,620 meters.

   30 min

3. The third stop, on a clear day, offers a scenic panoramic viewpoint overlooking the town of Kitob in the Kashkadarya province, situated just beyond the peak of the pass.

   30 min

4. Ak Saray Palace (“a white palace” in Uzbek) built in 1380-1404. Amir Temur gathered its craftsmen to his hometown to build his greatest palace, similar in structure to Samarkand’s Bibi Khanum Mosque. The name Ak-Serai (White Palace) symbolizes his noble descent, not the dominant colour, for blue, green and gold patterned the vast mosaics.

   1 h

5. Statue of Amir Temur— there are three huge statues of Temur: one is in Samarkand, one is in Tashkent and the third is in his hometown Shakhrisabz in standing position. The bronze statue weighs 20 tons and 9 meters high built after the Independence (1991).

   20 min

6. Complex of Dor-us Siyadat (“place of sadness” in Uzbek) from XIV century. It arose on the death of his eldest and favorite son Jahangir, killed in 1375 (aged only 22). When another son, Umar Sheikh, joined Jahangir in 1394, Temur even built himself a crypt.

   1 h

7. Dor-ut Tilavat (“place of praying” In Uzbek) from XIV-XV centuries, contains the Kok Gumbaz Mosque (1435) built by grandson of Temur Mirzo Ulugbek, the mausoleum constructed by Amir Temur in 1373-1374 for Sheikh Shamseddin Kulyal, a Sufic leader and spiritual advisor of Temur’s father , Taraghay.

   1 h

8. After the trip drive back to Samarkand

   2 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Know before you go

How it compares in Samarkand

• Its from-price is 45% below the median of the 48 day trips we list in Samarkand.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Samarkand

Samarkand is an ancient Silk Road city in Uzbekistan, famous for blue-tiled domes, grand madrasas and the great Registan square.

Samarkand has been a crossroads of trade routes for more than two thousand years, and in the late fourteenth century it became the capital of Timur's empire. The Registan, a square framed by three madrasas with tiled façades in blue, turquoise and gold, is its best-known sight. The madrasa of Ulugh Beg dates from the 1420s, and the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Top-ranked sights in Samarkand: Registan Square, Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum, Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis.

See all 178 experiences in Samarkand