Nurata Day Trip from Samarkand

<section><h2>Overview</h2><p>Nurata is a small town about 190 kilometres north of Samarkand, where the Nuratau mountains meet the Kyzylkum desert. It has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries because of its spring, and it makes a very different day from the cities.</p></section><section><h2>The day</h2><p>You leave Samarkand at half past seven and reach Nurata mid-morning. The Chashma complex is built around a spring whose pool teems with fish that pilgrims regard as sacred, with a mosque beside it. On the ridge above are the remains of a fortress traditionally said to have been founded by Alexander the Great.</p><p>Lunch is in a local guest house, and afterwards your guide shows you the kariz, underground channels dug long ago to carry water across the dry land. You set off back to Samarkand at around three.</p></section><section><h2>Highlights</h2><ul><li>The sacred spring and mosque of the Chashma complex</li><li>The hilltop fortress of Nurata</li><li>Lunch in a village guest house</li><li>The ancient kariz water channels</li></ul></section>