When the camel bells of the ancient Silk Road travel through time and space, modern railway tracks are paving a new path of civilization dialogue. According to the official release of the Kazakhstan Tourism Industry Committee, the highly anticipated "Silk Road" international tourism train project will set sail again in March 2026. With an innovative model of "railway+culture+tourism", it will connect the core cultural and tourism resources of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, offering cross-border tourism enthusiasts a millennium long cultural feast.

The itinerary of the "Silk Road" is scheduled from March 20th to 25th, based on the historical context of the ancient Silk Road, with a carefully designed closed-loop route of "Almaty Turkestan Samarkand Dushanbe Tashkent Almaty". This journey, spanning thousands of kilometers, is not only a geographical leap, but also a deep roaming through the heartland of Central Asian civilization, connecting the most representative historical and cultural landmarks, natural landscapes, and folk customs of the three countries, allowing participants to touch the profound heritage of Silk Road civilization during slow travel.

As the starting and ending point of the itinerary, Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, will welcome tourists with poetic scenery surrounded by snow capped mountains. The train heads south and arrives at Turkestan, a major town in the southern part of the country. Turkestan is an important birthplace of Islamic culture in Central Asia and is home to the UNESCO certified world cultural heritage site, the Khoja Ahmad Yasavi Mausoleum. This magnificent building, which combines Turkic style and Islamic architectural art, will allow tourists to intuitively experience the cultural prosperity of medieval Central Asia.

Crossing the border, the train enters Uzbekistan, and the appearance of the ancient city of Samarkand will be the highlight of the journey. This city, known as the "Pearl of the Silk Road", bears witness to the historical footprints of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions and Xuanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. The ancient sites such as the Gul Emil Mausoleum and the Confucian Academy Group in Registan Square still retain the glorious style of the Timurid Empire. Walking in it, one can hear the camel bells of ancient caravans echoing in the streets and alleys.

In the middle of the journey, the train will arrive in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. This city, located in the Gissar Basin, has both a modern urban atmosphere and a unique pastoral style in Central Asia. Tourists will visit the Ethnic Palace and the ruins of the ancient city of Kuzhan in the city center, experience the unique charm of Tajikistan as a "country of high mountains", and also experience local traditional handicraft production, and get up close to the folk culture at the foot of the Pamir Plateau.

The last stop of the train will be Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan - a transportation hub and cultural center in Central Asia. Here, there are historical relics such as the tombs of the Timurid family and the Haste Imam architectural complex, as well as modern and vibrant urban landscapes. Tourists can experience the changes of Central Asia's times in the fusion of old and new. In addition, the itinerary also includes multiple cross-cultural exchange activities, including traditional music performances, ethnic cuisine tasting, handicraft markets, etc., allowing tourists to deepen their cultural understanding of the three Central Asian countries through interaction.

The Kazakhstan Tourism Industry Committee stated that the core value of the "Silk Road" international tourism train project lies in using railways as a link to break down regional barriers in cross-border tourism, integrate cultural and tourism resources in Central Asia, and promote regional tourism cooperation to develop at a deeper and wider level. By creating stable and sustainable cross-border tourism routes, not only can we promote economic linkage among countries along the route, but we can also enhance mutual understanding and friendship among peoples of different countries, and bring new vitality and vigor to the ancient Silk Road in the new era.

At present, the preparations for the itinerary are coming to an end. A professional tour guide team, comfortable train facilities, and rich itinerary arrangements will provide tourists with a comprehensive and high-quality experience. Whether you are a history and culture enthusiast, a photography enthusiast, or a tourist pursuing in-depth travel, you can all gain your own unique memories in this Silk Road journey that spans the three kingdoms. In March, let us board the Silk Road and embark on this spring pact that connects the past and the future, links friendship and cooperation.Editor/Bian Wenjun