Timor’s Palace

Amazing.

This is the doorway to Timor’s Palace, well, the bottom part anyway. They were half as big again! See the people standing in the bottom right of the picture – look close, they are tiny.

Timur was born in Shahrisabz and then chose to make Samarkand his capital. At home, he built a beautiful kingdom, fostered the arts and learning.

On the road, he was a fearsome warrior. He sacked Delhi in 1399. It took 100 years for the city to fully recover from the massacre and looting. A day in the office for him.

We walk through that gateway on our way to visit an amazing embroidery workshop. Join us in April 2024.

Ak-saray

The palace is called the Ak-saray, which translates to “white, light, magnificent palace” as it was constructed with white marble slabs and was a lavish palace back in the 1400s.

It is said that the construction of Ak-Saray began in 1380 and it took almost 25 years and 50,000 slaves to complete. Not much remains of the palace to this day, you can only walk through the central area where massive walls tower above you on either side. The Ak-Saray Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since the year 2000.

What little remains is breath taking.

Here are some Uzbekistan impressions on my blog

At Creative Arts Safaris Tours we offer fully escorted, small group tours. CAS focuses on textiles, crafts, arts and culture and yummy local cuisine.

On tour we like to get our hands dirty taking workshops, exploring locations and culture. We like to include lots of local experiences. Textiles and crafts are our passion.

Our friendly groups are inclusive. They are companionable and well organized allowing a relaxed adventure, great for solo travellers.

They include pickup & drop to airport, accommodation, group travel, sightseeing, workshops, and most meals. Almost everything EXCEPT the shopping – that is your job. Help the local economy.