now china, kyrgyzstan, tajikis- · the 2014 expedition from istanbul to tashkent - day by day...

The adventure Next story whisks you away on the “Paper Route” through unfamiliar countries. You will venture into new territory and yet follow old trade routes to the Far East. On your way, you will experience great legacies of old cultures, discover ama-zing regions and travel through breathtaking landscapes. A great adventure and a challen-ge for body and soul await you on this unique expedition along the Silk Road.

From Europe to China The Silk Road between the Mediterranean and East Asia was the greatest trade route of Antiquity and the Middle Ages. It was not only goods, but also ideas and know-how that found their way to us along this route. They defied the scorching sun of the Takla Makan, the largest salt desert on earth in north-western China. They almost froze to

death while crossing the Pamir Mountains. They fought off attacks by marauding nomads and battled against hunger, thirst and illness. Often enough they lost – in the worst case their lives. And yet without the merchants and their caravans, who travelled west along the Silk Road for about a millen-nium and a half, modern Eu-rope would be a very different place. The description of this expedition, for instance, might not even exist, because paper and the art of book printing are just two of the major inventions that came to Europe along this dangerous route from China via Central Asia and Persia to Eu-rope. There is no documentary evidence to show exactly when the first sheet of paper arrived in Europe. The transport route normally began in the Chinese city of Xi‘an, the former im-perial city of Chang‘an. It led through various regions, inclu-ding those such as what are

now China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikis-tan, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Syria to Europe. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, a com-mercial road network. Goods travelled half way around the globe, spending months, if not years, en route.

The Paper TrackAt some point in time, the first package of paper found its way onto one of the camels and paper production developed at places outside China. In Samarkand for instance, whe-re scented paper smelling of rosewater was made in the 8th century. Along with paper, prin-ting technology found its way to Europe…

The beginning of the expedition Our expedition sets off from the “Sea of Marmara”, bet-ween the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, in August 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. Safranbo-lu - the oldest settlement in Turkey, Hattusas - the ruined city, Göreme – the region with towns and churches cut into the rocks and then northwards to the Black Sea towards Ge-orgia to Batumi, Kutaisi, Shibli-ani, Telavi and Sadakhlo. Then on to Armenia and the villages of Noratus and Noravank and to Meghri at the Iranian border. In Iran via Tabriz, Behestan, Hamadan, Alamut, Damavand, Qom, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and through the Dasht-e Lut towards Mashhad, we travel along and between the old and widespread routes of the Silk Road towards Turkmenis-tan and Uzbekistan. Travelling via Asgabat, we reach Xiva

in Uzbekistan and along with Buxoro and Samarkand we are in the middle of “old paper country”. Here they make 60 sheets of paper a day using the old method, which are highly sought after for old and new manuscripts around the world. This will be the highlight of the first stage of the expedition, before returning to Germany via Tashkent, the intersection of the ancient routes.

The 2015 route In the summer the expedition continues from Tashkent, th-rough Kazakhstan via Taraz, Almaty and Sarkand to Rus-sia and via Barnaul, Mayma, Gorno-Altaisk, Kosh-Agach near the Mongolian border towards Ulgii. This route th-rough Mongolia, which follows the northernmost fringe of the Silk Road, is safer than the route through Afghanistan or

Pakistan. Crossing through Mongolia, we travel from Ulgii via Khovd, Ulaangom, Uliastai, Murun and Ulan Bator, before reaching the end of the se-cond stage of the expedition in Irkutsk on Lake Baikal.

The destination In the summer of 2016 we will then set off from Irkutsk and head towards China in Man-churia and cross China via Hu-lunbuir, Jagdaqi, Longsha, Ja-rud, Chifeng, Beijing, Handan, Luoyang, Xi’an – the original birthplace of paper, Yangtze, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming and Guilin to Hong Kong, whe-re we reach the end of the third stage of the expedition.

For 2017 – 2019 we plan to continue the expedition th-rough India and Pakistan and finally back to Germany.

2014 Turkey - Georgia - Armenia - Iran - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan

2015 Kazakhstan - Russia - Mongolia

2016 China

The 2014 expeditionFrom Istanbul to Tashkent - Day by day

Turkey

Sunday, 10/08/2014Outbound flightMake your own way to the meeting point

Monday, 11/08/2014Day 1: IstanbulAfter breakfast you will meet the tour guide for an extended tour of the city through the historic Sultan Ahmed area and paying a visit to the Hagia So-phia, the Sultan Ahmed Mos-que, the Hippodrome Square and the Topkapı Palace. Over the course of the day we will be joined by more of the expe-dition participants.

Accommodation:Wyndham Petek Hotel, Istanbul

Tuesday, 12/08/2014Day 2: Safranbolu Today we leave Istanbul. Our journey takes us first to Safran-bolu, an exemplary cultural city. The rich collection of historic and cultural works here has been successfully protected, resulting in Safranbolu being put on the UNESCO World Cul-tural Heritage list.

Accommodation:Cinci Han Hotel, Safranbolu

Wednesday, 13/08/2014Day 3: HattusaToday we travel to the lost kingdom of the Hittites, an Indo-Germanic people whose empire stretched from Persia to Egypt. For about 100 years now, we have even been ab-le to read their script, which

was preserved for us on over 30,000 clay tablets. We will visit the archaeological site of the Hittite capital, Hattusa: The massive city walls, the Lions Gate, the Tunnel Gate, the King‘s Gate and the immense temple are, to this day, proof of the power and magnificence of this lost civilisation.

Accommodation:Hotel Baskent, Bogazkale

Thursday, 14/08/2014Day 4: GöremeToday’s journey takes us to the “Land of Beautiful Hor-ses”: Cappadocia Thanks to the activity of the Erciyes Dagi volcano (the ancient Greek name of which was Argaeos), which is some 3916 m high, we will discover several types

TURKEY

of volcanism. Here we will visit “Fairy Chimney Valley”, rock monuments, cave churches, chapels and entire residenti-al complexes with space for thousands of people, cut in-to the tuff stone. The largest excavated underground city, Derinkuyu, was once home to about 10,000 people.

Accommodation:Gül Konaklari-Sinasos Hotel,Ürgüp

Friday, 15/08/2014Day 5: SivasAfter visiting Kayseri, we leave Cappadocia, heading towards Suşehri, in Sivas Province. Kayseri, so named in honour of the Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar, is famous for its “pas-tirma” (“beef ham”), its “sucuk” (garlic sausage) and its “manti” (stuffed dumplings). In Sivas we will have the opportunity to visit various buildings built by the Selçuk and the Ottomans.

Accommodation:Su-Vadi Otel,Suşehri

Saturday, 16/08/2014Day 6: HopaPassing through the foothills of the Karckas mountains and Sumela Monastery, we travel towards the Black Sea and the border with Georgia, enjoying the breathtaking and varied landscape. We will spend the

night by the Black Sea, close to the border, so that we can cross the border into Georgia as early as possible next mor-ning.

Accommodation:Sarp Hotel,Hopa

Georgia

Sunday, 17/08/2014Day 7: KutaisiArrival at the Turkish-Georgian border. We will visit the Gonio fortress (1st century AD), who-se history is linked to the saga of Jason and the Argonauts; afterwards we will continue on to Kutaisi, the country‘s se-cond-largest city. There we will visit the Bagrati cathedral (11th century) and the nearby Gelati monastery complex (12th cen-tury) and academy, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Accommodation:Bagrati 1003 Hotel,Kutaisi

Monday, 18/08/2014Day 8: Tbilisi Next morning we will head onwards to Tbilisi. Having arrived, we will then visit the old and the new town. This is a city with a wealth of sights worth seeing. All of the interes-ting architectural monuments in the old town are close to each other, making them easy to

visit on foot. First we will visit the Metekhi church (13th cen-tury) and the statue of Tbilisi’s founding father, Wachtang Gorgassali, on horseback. From here you can also see the Mtkvari river, the old town and the outskirts of Tbilisi. Passing by the sulphur baths, we con-tinue to the Narikala fortress (4th century), the synagogue and the Sioni Cathedral, where the grapevine cross of St. Nino, who converted the Georgian people to Christianity, is pre-served. From there we continue to the Antschischati church (6th century), the oldest church in the city. The tour ends with a visit to the Archaeological Treasury of the Georgian Natio-nal Museum (gold work dating back to the time of the Golden Fleece).

Accommodation:Old Tbilisi Hotel,Tbilisi

Tuesday, 19/08/2014Day 9: Kakheti – TelaviToday we visit Kakheti, Ge-orgia’s famous wine-growing area. In the morning we will pay a visit to the Alaverdi cathedral (11th century). On our way to Tsinandali we will visit Gremi Castle (15th century) and then the Aleksandre Chavchavadze House Museum (19th century) in Tsinandali.

GEORGIEN


Accommodation:Hotel Old Telavi,Telavi

Wednesday, 20/08/2014Day 10: TbilisiOpportunity to join or leave the expeditionIn the morning we will continue our journey to Bodbe Con-vent(4th - 8th century), where the relics of St. Nino lie; after-wards we will take a walk th-rough the picturesque town of Sighnaghi, which is surrounded by a double wall and 28 to-wers. The wall was the symbol of the free town of Sighnaghi, lined with buildings designed in the South Italian classicist style with Georgian elements. We continue to Shibliani, be-fore returning to Tbilisi, where we will visit the political institu-tions. Some of the members of the expedition will leave us in Tbilisi, while others will join us.

Accommodation:Old Tbilisi Hotel,Tbilisi

Armenia

Thursday, 21/08/2014Day 11: Sadakhlo - Dilijan Transfer to the Georgian-Arme-nian border. Cross the border into Armenia at the Sadakhlo border crossing. We bid fa-rewell to the Georgian guide and are welcomed by the Armenian guide. We travel to

Jujevan and then on to the vil-lage of Yenokavan on gravel ro-ads (approx. 60 - 80 km); after-wards we will continue to the Goshavank Monastery, which dates back to the 13th century, before visiting the medieval monastery of Haghartsin.

Accommodation:Hotel Villa Rest,Dilijan

Friday, 22/08/2014Day 12: Lake Sevan - Nora-tus - Vardenis - Selim Pass - Yeghegnadzor An Armenian saying states: “If paradise had mountains, forests and springs, it would look like Dilijan”. We will have the opportunity to convince ourselves that this is true on a walk through the old town. Some 35 km to the south-east of Dilijan lies Lake Sevan, which covers up to 5% of Armenia‘s entire area and lies at an altitude of almost 2000 m above sea level, making it the second-highest freshwa-ter lake in the world. This will be followed by a visit to the monastery on the Sevanavank peninsula as well as a visit to Noratus, an old cemetery with with a large number of medie-val khachkars (cross-stones) dating back to the 6th century, after which we will continue to Vardenis - social project - and cross the Selim Pass and the caravanserai (14th century) to

Yeghegnadzor. The caravanse-rai of Selim, was built in 1332 by Prince Chesar Orbelian. According to an inscription, it was an important resting place on the famous Silk Road.

Accommodation: Hotel Arpa, Yeghegnadzor

Saturday, 23/08/2014Day 13: Tsapatagh - Noravank - GorisAfter breakfast we will drive to Spitakavor and Yeghegnadzor. The road to Spitakavor is a gravel road (approx. 20-25 km). Then we will continue to the Noravank Monastery, a great religious and cultural centre in the 12th century. Noravank (“New Monastery”) is 122 km from Yerevan (the capital of Armenia) and is located in an inaccessible location, surroun-ded by stunning natural sce-nery. We continue to the Tatev Monastery, visiting “Devil‘s Bridge” en route. The Tatev Monastery, an architectural masterpiece dating back to the 10th century, is often referred to as the “monastery at the edge of nothingness”. We con-tinue to the Armenian–Iranian border at Meghri.

Accommodation:Hotel Mirhav,Goris

ARMENIEN


Iran

Sunday, 24/08/2014Day 14: Tabriz From the Armenian–Iranian border we travel a short dis-tance to Tabriz, where all of the motorbikes are fitted with offro-ad tyres. Meanwhile, we take the opportunity to explore the town and visit the Azerbaijan Museum, the Kabud Mosque (also known as the Blue Mos-que), the Saheb ol Amr Mos-que, Arg-e Alisha the citadel and the historic bazaar.

Accommodation:Hotel Gostaresh,Tabriz

Monday, 25/08/2014Day 15: Behestan Rock CastleLeaving Tabriz, we pass th-rough the wild countryside of Kurdistan to Behestan rock castle close to the town of Mahneshan in Iran‘s Zanjan province. The castle is a creati-on of both nature and man.

Accommodation:Camp at Behestan rock castle

Tuesday, 26/08/2014Day 16: HamadanWe visit the Katale Khor Cave, considered to be one of Iran’s largest and most beautiful stalactite caves, which lies on out route to Qazvin. Kata-le Khor Cave is estimated to

be about 30 million years old (dating from the Oligocene period). Hamadan is one of the oldest cities in the world. In the book of Esther in the Old Testament it is referred to as Ecbatana. An important trading centre, the carpets made in the surrounding towns and villages are sold here. The best of these carpets are sold under their own names such as Nahavand, Tuiserkan, Malayer or Hossei-nabad. More simple carpets are sold under the generic term Hamadan. Several archaeological digs were conducted at Tepe Hag-matana, in the centre of the city, in the 20th century, with Median and in particular Acha-emenid artefacts being found, which are now on display at the Iranian National Museum in Tehran. Archaeologists are still unsure of the origin of the Sang-e shir (Stone Lion), to be found slightly further south in the city centre. Legend has it that Alexander the Great had it built to commemorate his close companion Hephaestion, who died in Hamadan. The “Ganjna-meh Cuneiform Tablets” from Ganj Nameh, about 12 km from the city centre, on the side of Alvand Mountain, date from Achaemenid times. The tomb of Queen Esther, wife of Xerxes I, and her cousin and adoptive father, Mordechai, is among the most important Jewish pilgrimage sites in Iran. Also

to be found in Hamadan is the final resting place of the orien-tal philosopher Avicenna (Ibn Sina); Avicenna University was founded on the basis of his library. A third important tomb is that of Baba Tahir Oryan, a Persian poet from the 11th century.

Accommodation:Bu Ali Hotel,Hamadan

Wednesday, 27/08/2014Day 17: Alamut mountain fortress Visiting the ruins of Alamut lead us on a trail to the stories and legends of the rulers of this mountain fortress. In 1090, Hasan-i Sabbah, founder of the Assassins, took the citadel, which was considered to be impregnable, without bloods-hed in a surprise attack and by payment of 3000 dinars to its Seldshuk governor, Mahdi. He reinforced the fortifications and filled stores to prepare for sie-ges. The Assassins were famed and feared in the Middle Ages as a group which carried out political assassinations, making them both feared and le-gendary. Marco Polo described the Assassins as a sect who consumed hashish, had orgia-stic celebrations, and murdered prominent personalities with daggers and poison. According to modern-day scientific opi-nion, however, he was mostly


IRAN

merely passing on stories he had heard from others. The period of the Assassins’ activi-ty was subsequently narrowed down to between 1080 and 1270. Since then, this motif has been picked up by countless authors and can be seen in just as many films.

Accommodation:Camp at Alamut mountain fortress

Thursday, 28/08/2014Day 18: Mount Damavand Today we visit Mount Dama-vand, Iran’s highest mountain. We can drive up to an altitude of about 3,600 m, before con-tinuing towards the summit on foot. As a dormant, gently smoking volcanic cone, Mount Damavand lies 70 km north-east of Tehran and south of the Caspian Sea. At a height of 5,670 m, it towers over all of the surrounding mountains. Mount Damavand is thus the highest mountain in Iran and the entire Middle East and is one of the highest free-stan-ding mountains in the world, alongside Mount Kilimanjaro. The height difference between the foot of the mountain and its peak is as much as 4,700, significantly more than Mount Everest.

Accommodation:Hotel Lotus,Gran-e Larijan

Friday, 29/08/2014Day 19: QomToday our journey takes us to Qom. Records of settlements in the region date back to the 4th century B.C. The Persian town already existed in Sassa-nid times. In the 10th century the town, which had been re-settled in 712 or 713 by Arabs from Kufa, rose to importance as a key centre for Shi’ite scho-larship. We circumnavigate the shrine of the Fatima Masuma, an important pilgrimage site, which dominates the town’s skyline with its golden dome.

Accommodation:Hotel Parsia,Qom

Saturday, 30/08/2014Day 20: IsfahanOpportunity to join or leave the expeditionModern Isfahan is a universi-ty city that has nevertheless retained its traditional arts and crafts. Isfahan is one of the centres of the Iranian nuclear industry, with research reac-tors and uranium enrichment plants. We will visit the bazaar, which lies on the northern edge of Imam Square. It is one of the largest and most impressive bazaars in Iran and is famous for its great diversity as well as the quality of its arts and crafts and its carpets. The elegant hand-knotted Persian

rug “Isfahan” is named after the city. As well as this, the city is also the main setting of the novel “The Physician” by Noah Gordon, and although Isfahan also plays a key role in the film of the book, most of the oriental scenes were filmed in Morocco. Once again, some of the members of the expedition will leave us in Isfahan, while others will join us.Accommodation:Tourist Inn Hotel,Isfahan

Sunday, 31/08/2014Day 21: ShirazOn our way to Shiraz we will vi-sit Persepolis, the former capi-tal of ancient Persia, a highlight of ancient Persian culture and politics of the Achaemenids. Even today, the palace city is still a place many Iranians iden-tify with, as it dates far back into pre-Islamic times. In 1979 the ruins of Persepolis were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Accommodation:Park Saadi Hotel,Shiraz

Monday, 01/09/2014Day 22: Bavanat oasis At Bavanat oasis we once again experience lush greenery on the edge of the Dasht-e Lut desert thanks to a plethora of irrigation channels. We will visit traditional mud houses


and meet some of the approx. 1 million nomads who still live according to the traditional way of life here.

Accommodation:Camp at Bavanat oasis

Tuesday, 02/09/2014Day 23: YazdWe pay a visit to Yazd, which was founded at an oasis and lies between the Dasht-e Kavir and the Dasht-e Lut deserts. The city dates back to the third millennium B.C. and was the centre of the Zoroastrian faith in Iran; many fire temples can still be found here. When it was founded, it is said that the city lay on a large, now dried out, inland lake. The city’s water supply still makes use of some of the ancient water channels and pipes (Qanat) to the present day. Yazd rose to historical significance in 1907, when the borders and bounda-ries of the British and Russian spheres of influence in Persia were agreed. Russian influence was to dominate to the north of a line reaching from Yazd in a north-westerly direction to Kurdistan and from Yazd in a north-easterly direction to the Persian-Afghani-Russian border triangle (now the Irani-an-Afghani-Turkmenian border triangle), while to the south, British influence was to domi-nate.

Accommodation:Hotel Caravan,Yazd

Wednesday, 03/09/2014Day 24: RavarThe countryside around Ravar is characterised by its impres-sive “folded” hills in the middle of the Dasht-e Lut, which is considered to be the driest and hottest desert in the world during the day, and one of the coldest at night. During the Ira-nian winter there is often heavy snow here.

Accommodation:Camp in the Dasht-e Lut

Thursday, 04/09/2014Day 25: FerdowsFerdows means “Garden of Eden in Paradise” and it lies in the dry centre of Iran. About 20 km to the north of the town, there is a thermal spring, which is thought to be fed by an inactive volcano and is reputed to work real miracles in healing skin diseases and rheumatism.

Accommodation:Emad Nezam Traditional Hotel,Ferdows

Friday, 05/09/2014Day 26: MashhadWe visit Mashhad, one of the seven holy sites of Shi’ite Is-lam, because it is the final res-ting place of Imam Reza. The city is an important political

and religious centre and is visited by several million Shi’ite pilgrims every year. Mashhad’s particular religious importance for Iran is due to the fact that (the eighth) Imam Reza is the only one of the twelve Shi’ite imams whose grave is on Iranian soil. The city benefited from its location on the Silk Road, which made it a trading post on the route from the west to the east. The good connec-tions afforded by the Silk Road helped the city to develop and made it attractive to pilgrims, too.

Accommodation:Parsian Tourist Toos Hotel,Mashhad

Turkmenistan

Saturday, 06/09/2014Day 27: Border at Ashgabat - Gas crater After crossing the border, we drive to Ashgabat. Depending on how long this takes, we will make a tour of Ashgabat.

Accommodation:Ak Altyn Hotel or the Grand Turkmen Hotel,Ashgabat

Sunday, 07/09/2014Day 28: Gas craterAs we pass through Turkme-nistan, we make a stop at the “Gate to Hell” – a gas crater (not natural, but a technical

TURKMENISTAN


accident that cannot be extin-guished).

Accommodation:Camp beside the gas crater

Uzbekistan

Monday, 08/09/2014Day 29: Dashoguz - Xiva bor-der Today we cross the border into Uzbekistan around midday at the earliest and then continue our journey to Xiva. We could easily spend a long time in Xiva without getting bored. The list of sights worth seeing is never-ending, but our time is limited, unfortunately.Accommodation:Malika Khorezm Hotel,Xiva

Tuesday, 09/09/2014Day 30: Buxoro - BukharaBukhara could also keep us captivated for several days. Let’s lose ourselves in the fascination of the mosques and bazaars and enjoy the Uzbek hospitality.

Accommodation:Hotel Old City,Bukhara

Wednesday, 10/09/2014Day 31: SamarkandYet again there is no shortage of culture, but too little time. In any case, we ought to take the time to see how paper is

made, at a small craftsman’s workshop which makes about 50 sheets of paper a day in the traditional way and sells it to customers around the world.

Accommodation:Sultan Hotel,Samarkand

Thursday, 11/09/2014Day 32: TashkentWe have reached the final des-tination for 2014. Let’s enjoy the fantastic impressions and experiences of our expedition one last time, and look for-ward to continuing the journey together in 2015, when it will once again be time to start the engines, right here where we bid each other farewell today, in Tashkent.

Friday, 12/09/2014Flight homeMake your own way home

As of: April 2014, subject to changes


USBEKISTAN

RouteThe route and the schedule have been planned to ensure that the expedition is inten-se, and yet not too stressful. Unforeseen events such as breakdowns, waits at border crossings, extreme weather or political unrest may however necessitate changes to both the itinerary and the schedule.

Weather conditionsTemperatures on our journey will vary between approx. 20°C at night and more than 35°C during the day.

Physical condition and fitnessYou should be in good health and be up to meeting the chal-lenges of such an expedition. Especially the heat, deprivati-on, limited hygiene and emotio-nal stress can be taxing.

Please see your GP for a check-up before setting off. Please also consult a trusted doctor for advice on putting together your travel first aid kit.

You should definitely be in good physical condition and fit, since riding a motorbike over gravel tracks for several hund-red kilometres can, in particu-lar, be very exhausting.

Social interactionSuch a journey demands a high degree of tolerance, team spirit and, last but not least, humour

from all of the participants. If you look forward to meeting a diverse variety of people and are also willing to admit your own mistakes and cope with the weaknesses of others, you are ideally prepared to cope with the rigours of travelling as part of a team. This is an ex-pedition, which makes certain demands on its participants. A helpful attitude and the abi-lity to work together to solve problems are prerequisites for travelling together.

Vehicles and equipmentProgroup provides both the vehicles and the equipment for the expedition:

4 VW Amarok Double Cab1 VW Amarok Single Cab8 BMW F700 GS

Driving skillsYou should - depending on the vehicle - already have good driving skills, ideally also on gravel roads.

ParticipationParticipation in the expedition is only possible by personal invitation.

RegistrationPlease contact us and let us know which leg of the journey you would like to join the expe-dition for. We will do our best to take your preferences into con-sideration when planning the

composition of the group. We would like to point out, howe-ver, that it may not be possible to satisfy all preferences due to various factors; we appreciate your understanding.

Further Informationwww.next-story.info

Contact:Progroup AGSwaantje KatzHorstring 12 76829 LandauPhone +49 (0) 6341 5576 100Fax +49 (0) 162 265 [email protected]

The 2014 expeditionGeneral information on the expedition

now china, kyrgyzstan, tajikis- · the 2014 expedition from istanbul to tashkent - day by day...

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