Shakhrisabz Day Trip from Samarkand over the Takhta-Karacha Pass

<section><h2>Overview</h2><p>Shakhrisabz is where Amir Temur was born, and before Samarkand it was where he built first and on the grandest scale. It lies 85 kilometres to the south, across a range of mountains, and the drive there is half the pleasure.</p></section><section><h2>The day</h2><p>The road climbs through the Aman-Kutan gorge to the Takhta-Karacha pass, with stops at Teshiktosh, a rock worn right through, and at the stalls on the pass.</p><p>In Shakhrisabz you visit the Dor-us Saodat complex with the tomb Temur built for his son Jahongir, the blue-domed Kok-Gumbaz mosque, and the two surviving pylons of the Ak-Saray, Temur’s summer palace, before driving back to Samarkand.</p></section><section><h2>Highlights</h2><ul><li>The Aman-Kutan gorge and Takhta-Karacha pass</li><li>Teshiktosh rock</li><li>Dor-us Saodat and the tomb of Jahongir</li><li>The Kok-Gumbaz mosque</li><li>The Ak-Saray palace</li></ul></section>