Journey from Tashkent to Baku. Tashkent Samarkand Bukhara Merv. Ashgabat Baku

Transcription

1 Journey from Tashkent to Baku Tashkent Samarkand Bukhara Merv Ashgabat Baku October 10-24, 2017

2 Program Highlights Enjoy a privately guided tour of Tashkent s Museum of Applied Arts, housed in the former mansion of a wealthy czarist diplomat. In Tashkent, visit the private art studio of a sixth-generation Uzbek ceramicist whose family has been making pottery since the 1790s. Converse with your hostess at a convivial meal in the home of a local family in Samarkand. Participate in an exclusive meeting with the Senior Advisor for Bukhara s Ark Museum. Explore the extensive ruins of the ancient city of Merv, and learn about its turbulent history from an expert guide. Discover UNESCO-listed Gobustan, an important site of ancient petroglyphs on the Absheron Peninsula below Baku. Enjoy a private tour and champagne reception at Baku s Nobel Oil Club, the Nobel Brothers museum. Study Leader: Dr. Emily O Dell Dr. Emily Jane O Dell is an Assistant Professor at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. Previously, she held the Whittlesey Chair of History & Archaeology at the American University of Beirut, and taught at Columbia University, Brown University, and Harvard University. Emily completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the Humanities Center. She received her PhD, MA, MFA, and MA from Brown University, and a Masters in Central Asian Studies from Columbia University. Emily s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Salon, Christian Science Monitor, NPR, and Huffington Post. Her recent academic publications touch upon Sufism and shamanism in Central Asia, post-soviet Islamic law in the region, and the archaeological excavation of the Mongol destruction of Merv in Turkmenistan. She has preserved medieval Sufi shrines on the Silk Road, excavated Islamic and Mongolian archaeology in Turkmenistan, and studied dutar in Tajikistan at the National Conservatory with master musician Sirojiddin Juraev. For her field-research on Sufism, Islamic Law, shamanism, and cultural heritage in Central Asia, Emily has been an Edward A. Hewett Policy Fellow, a Columbia University Pepsico Fellow, an IREX Fellow, an American Council Fellow, a Harvard Traveling Fellow, and a State Department Fellow in Critical Languages.

3 Land Program Rate: $6,995 (per person based on double occupancy) Single Supplement: $995 Included: All accommodation, hotel taxes Meals per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner) Arrival/ departure transfers for passengers arriving/departing on scheduled start/end days Internal airfare from Merv to Ashgabat and Ashgabat to Baku All overland transportation per itinerary by private vehicles Special cultural events and extensive sightseeing, including entrance fees English-speaking guides and Tour Manager throughout the itinerary Baggage handling at the hotels and airports where available; gratuities to local guides, drivers, Tour Manager and restaurant staff during included meals Visa support Comprehensive pre-departure packet Not Included: International airfare to Tashkent/from Baku. Our tour operator MIR Corporation can assist with reservations Travel insurance Meals not specified as included in the itinerary Personal items such as telephone calls, laundry, excess baggage fees, visa fees Air Arrangements: Program rates do not include international airfare to Tashkent/from Baku. Because of the global nature of our members and patrons, there is no group flight for this program. Information on a recommended flight itinerary will be sent by our tour operator upon confirmation. What to Expect: This trip is moderately active due to the substantial distances covered and the extensive walking and stair climbing required. The tour is not wheelchair accessible. To reap the full rewards of this adventure, travelers must be able to walk at least two miles a day (with or without the assistance of a cane) over uneven terrain while keeping up with the group, and stand for extended periods of time during walking tours and museum visits. Border crossings may require walking up to a mile on foot while handling your own bags without assistance. Availability of western toilets on the trip is unreliable, and squat toilets are prevalent at museums and many of the restaurants. Certain pain relievers such as Tramadol and Hydrocodone (among others), which are somewhat common in the U.S., are prohibited in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, even for personal use with a foreign prescription. Travelers are advised to bring alternative medications, and carry only an amount suitable for personal use in original pharmacy-labeled packaging. Flexibility and the willingness to accept local standards of amenities and services are essential to the enjoyment of this program. Reservations and Payments: Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust) or credit card information to The Commonwealth Club. Balance of payment for all land and air costs is due by August 11, 2017, 60 days prior to departure. Payment of the balance is due by check or bank transfer only. Eligibility: We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. People who live outside of the Bay Area may purchase a national membership. To learn about membership types and to purchase a membership, visit commonwealthclub.org/membership or call (415) Cancellations and Refunds: All cancellations must be made in writing to MIR Corporation and the following cancellation charges will apply: Cancellations received 61 or more days before departure, forfeit the $500 per person non-refundable deposit; those received 31 days to 60 days before departure, forfeit 50% of land tour cost per person; those received 30 days or less before departure, no refund. Refunds cannot be made to passengers who do not complete the full tour for any reason at all. Commonwealth Club Travel and our tour operator MIR Corporation reserve the right, without penalty, to withdraw the tour announced (i.e., cancel a tour). MIR Corporation reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a participant in a tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from a tour at any time at his/her own expense, when such action is determined by tour staff to be in the best interest of the health, safety, or general welfare of the tour group or of the individual participant, and subject only to the requirement that the recoverable cost of unused services and accommodations be refunded, if any. Note: Neither Commonwealth Club Travel nor MIR Corporation accepts liability for any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket in connection with this tour. It is recommended that you not purchase international flights until instructed by MIR Corporation. Single Travelers: We make every effort to match single travelers who request a roommate. However, shared accommodations cannot be guaranteed and a single supplement rate will apply. Insurance: A medical/evacuation and trip cancellation/interruption insurance policy for U.S. residents only is available for purchase. Information will be provided by the Commonwealth Club with your confirmation packets. Responsibility: A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of Commonwealth Club Travel and MIR Corporation for loss of property, injury, illness or death will be provided to passengers upon enrollment and is available to prospective travelers upon request. A signed release of liability/assumption of risk agreement is required for trip participation. MIR Corporation: CST # WST # MIR Corporation, all rights reserved. Photos: MIR Corporation

4 Day by Day Itinerary Oct 10 Depart USA on flights bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (In flight) Depart USA Oct Tashkent, Uzbekistan Start with an introductory lecture, followed by a tour of modern Tashkent, including the Shahid Memorial Complex, honoring the people killed during Stalin s purges in In the old part of Tashkent, view the Uthman Koran, considered by Sunni Muslims to be the oldest Koran in the world. Visit the private art studio of a sixth-generation Uzbek ceramicist, and enjoy a privately guided tour of the Museum of Applied Arts, admiring the embroidered Uzbek wall coverings called suzani. Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace or similar (2B, 2L, 2D) Oct Samarkand Take the morning express train from Tashkent, and begin exploring the World Heritage Site of Samarkand in the majestic Registan, centerpiece of the city. Visit the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of Tamerlane, and the Bibi Khanum Mosque, which he built to be the largest mosque in the Islamic world. Wander the row of tombs and mausoleums called Shah-i-Zinda, and pay a visit to Ulug Bek s medieval observatory. Drop in at a private kindergarten for an opportunity to meet with children, teachers and administrators, and discuss the system of education in Uzbekistan. Take a tour of a workshop where hand-crafted paper is made according to traditions handed down from the 8th century, when paper-making began in Samarkand. Enjoy dinner at a private home. Emir Han Hotel (2B, 2L,2 D) Oct Bukhara Make the drive to Bukhara, stopping for lunch in the village of Vobkent to meet with villagers and learn about Uzbekistan s rural life. Begin exploring at the Ark Citadel, the original fortress of Bukhara, likely dating back two thousand years or more. Meet the Senior Scientific Advisor of the Ark in charge of renovations and projects. See the infamous Zindan Prison, Lyabi-Hauz Plaza at the center of the Old Town, and the lovely Ismael Samani Mausoleum, the 10th century resting place of the founder of the Persian Samanid Dynasty. Visit a madrassah to enjoy a performance by local artists. Sasha & Son Hotel (2B, 2L, 2D)

5 The Commonwealth Club Oct Merv, Turkmenistan Ashgabat Crossing the border into Turkmenistan, explore the remains of the five ancient cities of Merv, and admire Ashgabat s gleaming marble monuments. Venture outside the city to visit a horse-breeding farm devoted to the renowned Akhal-Teke horse, arguably the oldest cultured breed of horse in the world. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the ancient Parthian Kingdom of Nisa, led by a professional local archaeologist. Stop at Kipchak Mosque, a huge $100-million-dollar mosque big enough to hold 10,000 people; its 164-foot golden dome had to be lowered in place by helicopter. Mary: Hotel Mary or similar; Ashgabat: Hotel Oguzkent or similar (4B, 4L, 4D) Oct Baku, Azerbaijan Fly in to Baku, and take a walk through the UNESCO-listed Old City, or Icheri Shere, completely encircled by the old city walls with their medieval gates. Enjoy a curator-led tour of the State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and Applied Folk Art, which beautifully displays the vivid colors and bold designs of Azeri, Caucasian and Iranian carpets. Visit Gobustan, an important site of ancient petroglyphs that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in Quarry workers discovered the rock carvings here by accident in the 1930s. Discover the Absheron Peninsula where flaming natural gas vents may have inspired Zarathustra, a local resident around 1000 BC, to include fire rituals in his Zoroastrian religion. Tour the Zoroastrian Fire Temple here, originally built over a burning natural gas vent. Enjoy a private tour and champagne reception at the Nobel Oil Club, the Nobel Brothers Museum, followed by a farewell dinner featuring authentic Azeri dishes and traditional mugham music. Hilton Hotel Baku, (3B, 3L, 2D) Oct 24 Depart Baku The tour concludes with transfers to the airport for international departures. (B flight time permitting)

6 Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust) or credit card information to The Commonwealth Club of California, P.O. Box , San Francisco, CA Balance of payment for all land and air costs is due by August 11, 2017, 60 days prior to departure. Payment of the balance is due by check or bank transfer only. Space is limited. Reservations will be processed in order of receipt, subject to availability. We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. Please check one of the following options: I am a current member of the Commonwealth Club Please use the credit card information below to sign me up or renew my membership. I will visit commonwealthclub.org/membership to sign up for a membership The enclosed non-refundable deposit of $ ($500 per person) to hold place(s). Enclosed check, payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust Visa Mastercard American Express Discover Credit card number Exp date CVC Billing Address (if different from mailing address) Signature of cardholder Full name #1 (as listed in passport) Date of birth Full name #2 (as listed in passport) Date of birth Mailing address (no PO boxes please) City State/Province Zip Country Phone (Home) (Work/Cell) Please note preferences: I am traveling alone and prefer a single room wherever available at the single supplement rate ($995). I will share accommodations with I would like to share with a Non-smoker Smoker (shares are not guaranteed) International airfare is not included in the tour price. Information on the recommended flight itinerary will be sent by our tour operator upon confirmation. Please send me a recommended air itinerary and fare estimate between my home city and Tashkent/ Baku in: Business class Economy class For more information, contact The Commonwealth Club at (415) or travel@commonwealthclub.org The Commonwealth Club of California P.O. Box San Francisco, CA 94119