Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan: Journey to Heaven and Abyss

Meet at 05:00 at Suvarnabhumi (BKK), 4th floor, Uzbekistan Airways counters. Fly HY532 at 08:10, arriving at Tashkent (TAS) at 13:10.

• Amir Temur Square in central Tashkent, with the equestrian monument to Timur.
• Uzbekistan Hotel, a book-shaped Soviet-era building from 1974.
• Take the train to Samarkand, a World Heritage city on the Silk Road, about 4 hours.

• Registan Square, framed by three madrasahs including the Ulugh Beg Madrasah, built by the Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg, a mathematician and astronomer.
• Bibi-Khanym Mosque, built 1399–1404 on Timur's orders after his campaign in India.
• Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in 1420, among the most advanced astronomical buildings of the medieval world.

• Travel to Bukhara, one of the best-preserved Silk Road cities in Central Asia and a World Heritage Site.
• Poi-Kalyan Complex, built in the 12th–16th centuries, with the Kalyan Minaret, the Poi-Kalyan Mosque and the Miri-Arab Madrasah.
• Shopping at Toki-Sarrofon, an old trading dome that once served as a currency exchange.

• Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace, the summer palace of the last Emir of Bukhara, mixing Uzbek-Persian and Russian styles, now a museum.
• Samanid Mausoleum, built in the late 9th or early 10th century, the burial place of Ismail Samani and a model for Islamic architecture in Central Asia.
• Bolo-Hauz Mosque, built in 1712, with 20 carved wooden columns.
• The Ark of Bukhara, the old fortress and royal palace, with an ancient wooden mosque.

• Cross the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan border to Turkmenabat, the second-largest city in Turkmenistan.
• Lebap Province Grand Mosque, built of white marble with a blue dome and four minarets.
• Continue to Mary, a desert oasis on the Murghab River about 30 km from the ruins of Merv.

Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once considered the largest city in the world in the 12th century.

• Gyz Kala, a 6th–7th-century fortress with wavy mud-brick walls.
• Complex of Askhabs, built in the 15th century.
• Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala, covering over 300 hectares.
• Hoja Yusup Hamadani Complex, the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum (38 m dome) and the Muhammad ibn Zeid Mausoleum.

In the afternoon, travel to Ashgabat, the "White City", listed by Guinness for having the most white marble buildings in the world.

• The hippodrome, to see Akhal-Teke horses, the "blood-sweating" horses and a national symbol of Turkmenistan.
• Independence Monument (118 m, built 2001) and the Ruhnama Monument.
• Drive about 270 km (around 4 hours) to the Darvaza Gas Crater, the "Gates of Hell", which has burned continuously for over half a century.
• Barbecue dinner in the desert at sunset by the glow of the crater, then return to Ashgabat.

• Arch of Neutrality, 95 m tall, built in 1998 (seen from outside).
• Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center, with an indoor Ferris wheel over 57 m in diameter (seen from outside).
• Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque, built 2002–2004 in white marble, with 91 m minarets.
• The Lenin Statue, whose base carries Turkmen carpet patterns, and Gulistan Market.

Check in at Ashgabat International Airport (ASB) for Turkmenistan Airlines T5641 at 18:25.

Arrive in Bangkok at 03:10 the next morning, after a flight of about 6 hours 25 minutes.