Far Horizons proudly presents a truly unique 11-day tour to Berlin, Paris, and London, with an emphasis on each city’s great museums and their Silk Road collections. During the trip, we will learn about several civilizations that developed along the ancient Silk Road. Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization that at different times included territory located in present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Parthians were an Iranian dynasty that lasted for nearly five hundred years, successfully taking back territory in the near east from first the Seleucid Greeks and then the Romans. They were followed by the Sasanians, the last Persian (Zoroastrian) Empire before the rise of Islam, who held their own against their arch-rival the Roman-Byzantine Empire to rule from 224 to 651.
Begin our explorations in Berlin, where we enjoy an immersive experience at the Pergamon Museum 3D virtual installation, as well as a tour of Museum of Asian Art. Fly to Paris where we will visit the National Library, The Musée Guimet, and the Louvre Museum. By train through the Chunnel, we move to London, for a day in the British Museum, including a private viewing of Sasanian artifacts not on public display. Our time in London will also include the British Library and Victoria and Albert Museum. We end the tour with a special day at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Overnights will be in charming hotels within walking distance of these great museums, and dinners will be memorable, including an evening at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant with views over the Trocadéro.
Depart on a flight bound for Berlin, Germany.
Arrive to Berlin and transfer to the Radisson Blu Berlin Hotel for three nights, located in the city center within walking distance of all main attractions. After a light lunch and orientation, the afternoon and dinner are free to rest and explore the city on our own. (L)
Day 3: Five world-renowned museums make up Berlin’s Museum Island in the Spree River. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the buildings were constructed between 1824 and 1930 by the most renowned Prussian architects. The Pergamon Museum houses an incredible collection of exquisite classical treasures such as the striking reconstructions of archaeological buildings – the Pergamon Altar of Zeus, Roman market gate of Milet, Ishtar Gate with the Processional Way of Babylon, and the Mshatta façade. (PLEASE NOTE: The Pergamon Museum closed entirely on 23 October 2023 for three years to carry out extensive renovation work. Due to the construction work, individual rooms, including the hall with the Pergamon Altar, cannot be seen.
A new, temporary exhibition building is located opposite the Museum Island: the exhibition “Pergamon Museum. The Panorama” with the 360-degree panorama by Yadegar Asisi and antique originals from Pergamon makes it possible to experience the Pergamon Altar in its original form and in its urban context on the Acropolis.)
After lunch on our own, we spend the afternoon at the Museum of Asian Art, housing a collection of Central Asian wall paintings and sculptures from Buddhist cave temples along the Silk Road, as well as the Turfan collection of manuscripts and a reconstructed Buddhist temple. Gather for dinner tonight in one of Berlin’s excellent restaurants. (B/D)
Today we will enjoy a half-day exploration of Berlin’s rich history. The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, and the Berlin Wall Memorial Museum contains a small piece of the barricade along with displays on the history of Germany’s division. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark, was an emblem of Berlin and German division during the Cold War. Today, it is a national symbol of peace and unity.
We will travel by small ferry across the Havel River to Peacock Island, a nature conservation area since 1924. From the deck of the vessel, we will observe landscaped gardens and the striking white palace that was built by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1794-97. Peacock Island Palace, or Pfaueninsel, is our destination. Created as a half-timbered artificial ruin, that interior reflects the 18th century’s intellectual and cultural world. Together with other palaces in Potsdam and Berlin the island and the palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Return to the hotel in the afternoon with dinner on our own. (B/L)
An early morning flight takes us to Paris and the Bibliothèque Nationale, the national repository of all that is published in France along with works of visual art. Here we will join a curator for the Persian Collections for a private viewing of artifacts not on public display (if available). We will see The Khosro Cup, also known as the Cup of Solomon, a stunning and intricate Sasanian Persian vessel made of gold, garnets, rock crystal, and glass; a 16th century copy of the Book of Ardā Wīrāz, a Zoroastrian religious text of the Sasanian era; and an exquisite Sasanian intaglio, a gemstone with an image finely carved into it. Overnight for two nights at Hôtel Le Bellechasse, a charming boutique hotel located just steps away from the Musée d’Orsay on the Left Bank. Dinner is on our own to explore the vast culinary options at Parisian restaurants. (B/L)
The Louvre Museum contains important collections of Central Asia and Persian artifacts, most removed from Iran by French archaeologists in the 19th century. These include a basalt tablet engraved with the Code of Hammurabi, edicts set in place by the 17th century BC Babylonian king that is one of the oldest known sets of laws. The Louvre also has large sections of polychrome glazed brick walls from the Susa palace of the Persian emperor Darius I, including the frieze of lions, and another of archers, showing an army of warriors carrying spears, bows, and quivers.
This afternoon, enjoy a visit to the underground collection at the Louvre to see the Cambyses stele and other related Iranian artifacts that are hidden in the bowels of the building. Lunch and the late afternoon are our own to return to the collections or view other areas of the museum. Gather this evening for a very special dinner party in the Eiffel Tower restaurant with a breathtaking view over Paris. (B/D)
The Musée Guimet was created by Emile Guimet, a wealthy industrialist who traveled around the world. During his travels, he acquired extensive collections of objects which he put on display in a museum opened in Lyon in 1879 and later was moved to Paris. Over the years, it obtained large collections of objects that had been brought back by major expeditions to Central Asia and China. It has the largest collection of Asian art in Europe and we will peruse the artifacts that relate to the Silk Road, along with treasures from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. After lunch, board the Chunnel to travel to London. Dinner is on our own. Overnight at the Radisson Edwardian Blu Bloomsbury, located next to the British Museum, for three nights. (B/L)
Day 8: The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, it displays a unique and extensive Iranian collection as well as a collection of Middle Eastern and Persian rugs and carpets, amongst the finest in the world. Within the museum, the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art houses a display of 400 objects with the highlight being the Ardabil Carpet, the centerpiece of the gallery. This 16th century carpet made of silk and wool measures almost 35’ by 18’ and contains 26 million knots! It is considered one of the best of the classical Iranian (Azerbaijanian) school of carpet creation. It was first placed in a mosque in Ardabil, but over time became heavily worn and was sold in 1890 to a British carpet broker who restored it and then sold it to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Also on view is a patterned silk fragment showing the mythical creature, the sēnmurw, enclosed in a roundel of pearls. Part bird, part beast, the sēnmurw is a creation of Sasanian art, although it was derived from more ancient Babylonian and Assyrian cultures, as well as from the sea-horse of Greek art.
After a quick lunch, enter the British Library where (if available) Ursula Sims-Williams, the Curator of Iranian languages, will host us for a private viewing of items from the Library’s Sogdian and Khotanese collections, along with antiquities discovered by Sir Aureal Stein during his Central Asia expeditions in the early 1900s. Return to the hotel with dinner on our own. (B/L)
We spend today in the world-renowned British Museum where we will experience a behind-the-scenes tour of the pre-Islamic collections from Iran hosted by the curator of the Central Asian collection (if available) to unlock pieces of Sasanian silver that are not on public display for us to view. Lunch and the afternoon will be on our own to spend more time with the pre-Islamic collection or to view other sections of the museum. We will gather for our final dinner together in a nearby restaurant. (B/D)
Day 10: Our journey today takes us to Oxford and the esteemed Ashmolean Museum, Britain’s first public museum. From Iran to the Eastern Mediterranean, across some 10,000 years, the artifacts displayed in its Ancient Middle East Gallery reveal some of the most important developments in human history. Among the highlights on display, we will see the famous Sumerian King List (about 1800 BC), which names the cities of Mesopotamia and their rulers as if in an unbroken sequence from before ‘the Flood’ to the time it was made, and extraordinary objects removed from the Mesopotamian city of Kish, including inlay decoration from Mesopotamia’s earliest royal palace. Before leaving Oxford, we will also visit Bodleian Library to view an early collection of Persian manuscripts. In the late afternoon, transfer to the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow Airport Hotel, located within minutes of the international airport, where we overnight. (B/L/D)
Transfer to the airport for our flights home. (B)
