Navruz – New Year in Uzbekistan!

• 
• Add to wish list

The unforgettable celebration of Navruz The Spring Feast and beginning of the New Year in Central Asia.Navruz (New Day) is the most cherished public holiday, the Central Asian New Year that falls on March 21 in Uzbekistan. During this two-day festival of spring renewal, singing, dancing, the making of special dishes, wrestling by burly "Palvans" and the reciting of epic poetry by wandering "Bakshi" minstrels are highlights.While Islam has had a strong influence on The Uzbek people so do a number of older religious traditions including Zoroastrianism. Navruz has its origins in a festival celebrating the spring equinox, which Zoroaster rededicated to Asha Vahistra and fire. The Great Silk Road oases of Uzbekistan are more accessible now than ever before in their histories.You journey will begin in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. A bus will take you along the Golden Road to Samarkand where you will celebrate Navruz. Here at the junction of ancient caravan routes, the colossal blue domes of Tamerlane's imperial capital dwarf the modern Uzbek city.The drive from Samarkand to Bukhara will be broken by a visit to Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane. This is a wonderfully picturesque journey through steppe country dotted with small villages. Bukhara, reputed to be the holiest place in Central Asia, provides a gentle contrast to glittering Samarkand with the muted khakis of its mud walled, old city and its compact layout.Then it is onward to Khiva, the most heavily restored of all the Great Silk Road cities.