The Five Stans Adventure exploring Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 Tajikistan 🇹🇯 Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 and Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
It’s an early morning this morning as you hit the road for a long day of travel. First, in Kunya Urgench – once a main hub of the Islamic world, this place suffered destruction at the hands of Genghis Khan and the Timurid dynasty and fell into decay until the 20th century. See the mosque, mausoleum and 60 m high Gutlug Timur Minaret before continuing to the Turkmen/Uzbek border of Khodjeyli (Xo’jayli) to Khiva. When you arrive, you’ll have a free evening to rest.
~ Intrepid Travel ~ Five Stans Day 4
Leaving My Yurt & The Drive
It was a very long day. We left the yurt at 530 AM, drove 7 hours to Kunya-Urgench, had lunch, drove another 2 hours to the border, changed guides and vehicles and drove another hour to the Khiva hotel. I was exhausted especially after not sleeping well in the yurt.
For the most part, it was a very bumpy ride. We had 3 vehicles and we were in a convoy and the drivers all seemed to dodge the potholes together.
I peed many times in the desert.
And we got a flat tire.
Kunya-Urgench
Located on the left bank of the Amu Daria River, Kunya-Urgench was the capital of the Khorezm region, part of the Achaemenid Empire. The old town contains a series of monuments mainly from the 11th to 16th centuries, including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a 60-m high minaret. The ruins of Old Urgench are an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Crossing Into Uzbekistan ~ Khodjeyli (Xo’jayli) Border
Easy peasy ~ no issues and a straight forward crossing. I love getting new passport stamps! The guard spent some time looking at the pictures on the pages of my passport. He knew who Terry Fox was.
Hello Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
The Republic of Uzbekistan is surrounded by five countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Uzbek is a Karluk Turkic language spoken by Uzbeks. It is the official language of Uzbekistan.
The Republic of Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan located in the northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital city is Nukus.
For Canadians, a tourist visa is not required for stays up to 30 days.
Uzbekistan is famous for its historic cities and Bukhara is one of the most beloved of all. From the Ark Fortress to the Kalyan Minaret holy sites are covered in skillful brickwork and exquisite tiles.
Khiva
Khiva is described as a living museum with well-preserved streets, mosques made of baked mud bricks and majestic fortress walls. Khiva is the 2024 Tourism Capital of the Islamic World.
A traditional story attributes the name Khiva to one of the sons of the prophet Noah: “It is said that Shem, after the flood, he found himself wandering in the desert alone. Having fallen asleep, he dreamt of 300 burning torches. On waking up, he was pleased with this omen, he founded the city with outlines in the form of a ship mapped out according to the placement of the torches, about which he had dreamt. Then Shem dug the Kheyvak well, the water from which had a surprising taste. It is possible to see this well in Ichan-Kala (an internal town of Khiva City) even today.”
Meros B&B
We checked into our B&B for the next couple of nights ~ I had a room with a balcony overlooking the old city wall which was cool.
Happy Travels!
The Five Stans
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Jackie is “Mom” to one amazing son, an IT professional and an obsessed traveller. She spends her time reading, golfing at Ladies League and implementing software projects. Jackie has travelled to 7 continents, 5 oceans and 103 countries and she is always planning the next destination and adventure!
Awesome read love 💞
Thank you!
Loving tis trip.
Thank you so am I!!