Founder & Director
Akbar Rakhimov
Art historian, fluent in six languages, twenty years on the Silk Road.
Protocol Travel Services
Our
Story
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Founder & Director
Akbar Rakhimov
Our Mission
To reveal the Silk Road as it has never been shown to the outside world — from the inside, with depth and discretion.
I founded Protocol because I was tired of watching my country be seen only in glimpses — a photograph of a dome, a souvenir from a market stall, a rushed morning at the Registan. Uzbekistan deserves more than that. So do the people who travel here.
Our guests spend evenings with calligraphers in their workshops, mornings with archaeologists mid-excavation, and afternoons in private libraries holding manuscripts that predate print. This is not tourism. This is scholarship made comfortable.
Akbar Rakhimov
Milestones
Sixteen Years
in the Making
We have grown slowly and on purpose — adding one new specialist at a time, one new monument at a time, one new relationship at a time.
2008
Founded in Tashkent
Akbar Rakhimov establishes Protocol Travel Services from a single office on Amir Temur Square, hosting twelve guests in the inaugural season. Every tour is led personally.
2011
First International Recognition
Condé Nast Traveller names Protocol one of Central Asia's most promising boutique operators. The team expands to Samarkand with a permanent cultural liaison and archive scholar.
2015
Exclusive Partnerships Established
Long-term agreements signed with the Samarkand State Museum of Culture and the Bukhara Architectural Heritage Institute, granting private after-hours access to key monuments.
2018
A Decade on the Road
Protocol marks ten years and 800 completed private journeys. The team of eighteen guides spans six cities and four language groups. A dedicated air charter division is launched.
2022
Expansion to Fergana & Khiva
Two new resident specialists join for the Fergana Valley and Khiva circuits. Protocol becomes the only operator offering exclusive yurt-camp nights inside the Kyzylkum reserve.
2024
Present Day
Over 1,240 private tours completed across 38 countries of origin. Protocol remains privately held, deliberately small, and wholly dedicated to depth over volume.
The People
Meet the Team
A small, deliberately chosen group. Every specialist is an expert in a particular city, era, or craft — not a generalist guide.
Head of Guest Experience
Nilufar Yusupova
Former senior concierge at Aman resorts. Orchestrates every detail before you arrive.
Lead Cultural Guide, Samarkand
James Hartwell
Oxford-trained archaeologist. Fifteen seasons decoding Timurid inscriptions.
Bukhara & Khiva Specialist
Madina Karimova
Descendant of a Bukharan merchant family. Her knowledge of the old city is unmatched.
Trusted Partners & Accreditations
Aman ResortsOrient Express HotelsAbercrombie & KentCondé Nast TravellerNational Geographic ExpeditionsIATA Certified