In the morning drive to Nurata and visit the Nurata Chashma, Nurata Fortress, and the Korzi subterranean water channels built by Alexander the Great. In the afternoon, continue on to Sentyab and take a walk through the village. Overnight in Sentyab (or nearby Ukhum).
NB: You will stay in a Tajik style guesthouse which belongs to UN Development Program project in the Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve. The guesthouse features 7 simple rooms with no private facilities. There is a toilet and shower available in the house.
Overnight in Rahima's Homestay, Sentob
Meal plan: Breakfast
The small town of Nurata is nestled in the foothills of the Nurata Mountains. The origins of the town are unknown - some associate this with the construction of fortress Nur by Alexander the Great in 327 BC, whilst archeological excavations suggest that humans have inhabited the region for forty thousand years. Today, Nurata is the administrative and cultural centre of the mountainous Navoi region.
One of the most important Islamic sites in
Nurata, the Chashma Complex is visited by thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. At the centre lies a holy spring (or "chashma"), believed to heal all diseases and mental ailments. It has a constant temperature of 19.5 degrees celsius and a variety of minerals, including gold and silver. Within the complex also lies the Juma Mosque, located directly above the spring, and Nurata cemetery
The Nurata Fortress was built by Alexander the Great when he founded the city and is strategically located on top of a hill. Uzbek sources suggest that Alexander instructed his generals to build an impenetrable fortress here while he continued his conquest. There is a steep climb to the top of the site but the view across the mountains and Nurata itself is spectacular.
As your hosts in the Nuratau mountains are ethnic Tajiks, this is a unique opportunity to hear another regional language, eat delicious home-cooked local specialties, and see the day-to-day life of the village. Your hosts breed livestock (sheep, cows, goats) and make their own butter, yogurt and other milk products themselves. Hens provide people with fresh eggs. The most delicious dishes offered in the guesthouses are prepared from their own land.
