Desert Castles of Uzbekistan & the Seven Lakes of Tajikistan
Tashkent → Khiva → Desert fortresses of Khorezm → Bukhara → Samarkand → Seven Lakes (Haft Kul) → Shakhrisabz
From €1,155 per personView tour
Amir Timur’s birthplace · Uzbekistan
Shakhrisabz travel guide
The ruins of the Ak-Saray palace, over the mountains from Samarkand.
Shakhrisabz, the "green city", is the town where Amir Timur was born in 1336. He planned his greatest palace here, the Ak-Saray, and the surviving fragments of its entrance arch are still enormous.
The drive from Samarkand over the Takhtakaracha Pass is part of the experience, with views over the Zarafshan range and roadside stalls selling honey and dried fruit.
- Time needed
- Day trip from Samarkand
- Best time
- April–May and September–October
- Getting there
- About 90 km south of Samarkand over the Takhtakaracha Pass, or a longer, easier road via Kitab.
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Inscribed 2000
Don’t miss
What to see in Shakhrisabz
- 01
Ak-Saray Palace
The colossal remains of Timur’s summer palace gate.
- 02
Dorut Tilovat
A complex of mosques and mausoleums including Kok Gumbaz.
- 03
Dorus Saodat
The crypt Timur built for himself, though he was buried in Samarkand.
- 04
Takhtakaracha Pass
The mountain road from Samarkand, open most of the year.
Tours
Tours that include Shakhrisabz
Uzbekistan in depth: 12 days
Tashkent → Kokand → Rishtan → Margilan → Khiva → Desert fortresses of Khorezm → Bukhara → Nurata & Lake Aydarkul → Samarkand → Shakhrisabz
From €1,315 per personView tour
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