TASHKENT is the capital city of Uzbekistan. Travelling to Samarkand from Tashkent and back in 48 hours has been made possible by the impressive high speed train – Afrosiyob. Why impressive? International travelers are surprised having experience the train ride for the first time, with many giving positive feed back on its punctuality, facilities and most importantly the scenery flashing by intimately before your eyes. The journey take about two hours by train per way. The usual journey by car usually takes you up to 4 hours per way.

Afrosiyob High Speed Train

What can you do in Samarkand within 48 hours?

After all Samarkand is one of the UNESCO Heritage Site and was once the jewel city of the Silk Road route 2,500 years ago ……

Registan Square ❦ The name Rēgistan (ریگستان) means “Sandy place” or “desert” in Persian.

The heart of the ancient city of Samarkand and the legacy of the Turco-Mongol King Timur. Having played an important role in the past, the buildings are sacred as if it’s a living oracle to the present. There are three madrasahs, place your hands on its walls and feel the history, these very same walls where scholars and scribes come to exchange knowledge and ideas.

Registan Square

Registan Square night view

Bibi Khanym Mosque ❦ In Persian: مسجد بی بی خانم‎‎; Uzbek: Bibi-Xonum machiti

Built in the 1399 by the order of Tamerlane during his victorious Indian campaign. The mosque was once the largest and most magnificent mosque in the 15th century to the Islamic world at that time.

Bibi Khanym Mosque

Beautiful detailed mosaic artwork by hand

Apple Vacations has put together an exotic 10 Days 8 Nights itinerary taking you across three countries in Central Asia, where in-between you get to experience a two days one night stay in Samarkand, from Tashkent to Samarkand and back by Afrosiyob high speed train.

Full Itinerary: GEMS OF CENTRAL ASIA