Last Updated on: 4th July 2026, 06:04 pm
Though the Bible and Quran place David firmly in the Middle East, here in the mountains near Samarkand, tradition holds that he once took refuge inside a local cave. Today, the Hazrat Daud Cave is one of Uzbekistan’s most prominent pilgrimage sites. But it’s also accessible for curious foreigners looking for something off the standard tourist trail.
Hiking to Hazrat Daud Cave
Hazrat Daud is located in the Mirankul Mountains about 40 km from Samarkand. While you have the option of taking an organized tour, you can also just get there with the Yandex Go app for a very reasonable price.
At the time of my visit, I just paid about $9 for the one-way journey, which lasted about an hour. But I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get back when I finished.
As soon as I got out of the car and started walking around the parking lot at the base of the steps, someone asked if I needed a ride. I wasn’t ready, of course, but I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t end up stranded out here.
The path to the top comprises a grueling 1,303 steps. If you forgot your water, you’ll find a shop at the parking lot and plenty of other places selling drinks along the way.
But that’s not all. I walked by countless souvenir shops and even games where kids could win prizes. Despite being the only foreign tourist on the day of my visit, Hazrat Daud is incredibly popular with locals and has already been thoroughly commercialized.
Locals come here en masse in hopes of having their wishes granted by Hazrat Daud, or St. David – the same biblical character of ‘David vs. Goliath’ fame. Let’s take a moment to review David’s backstory.
Roughly three thousand years ago, a king named Saul is believed to have ruled over a United Kingdom of Israel.
But, according to the Old Testament, he ignored a command from Yahweh to massacre the Amalekites. As punishment, a shepherd boy named David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel. Saul, however, had no idea.
During his days of torment for his disobedience, Saul sent for a lyre player to soothe his soul. One of his servants recommended a young man named David, who impressed the king and entered his service.
Later on, when a war broke out between Israel and the Philistines, the giant warrior Goliath challenged Israel to send someone who could take him on in one-on-one combat.
To the surprise of many, David accepted the challenge and managed to defeat Goliath with nothing more than a sling.
David was then assigned commander of the army. But he became so popular amongst the local populace that Saul grew jealous. Fearing that David secretly had his eye on the throne, Saul conspired to kill him.
His son Jonathan, however, warned David of the plot and told him to flee.
He first sought refuge with the Philistines but, fearing for his safety, eventually moved on, visiting various towns, caves, and forests around Judah.
Saul remained in pursuit of David. At one point, he even happened to enter a cave where David was hiding – but he didn’t realize it at the time, and only went there to defecate. David secretly cut off a piece of his robe, later showing it to the king to prove that he meant no harm.
Saul then realized that David was not actually intending to usurp the throne. But later, after Saul was killed in a battle against the Philistines, David did go on to replace him as King of Judah, just as Samuel had prophesied.
After uniting all of Israel, David then conquered Jerusalem from a Canaanite tribe, making it his new capital. And his son Solomon would eventually be next in line to rule.
But you’re likely still wondering: What does any of this have to do with Uzbekistan?
Finally reaching the top of the steps, I was a bit out of breath, but I walked around the hilltop to admire the beautiful views. And at the highest point is a small mosque, though as a non-Muslim, I didn’t go inside.
David is not just a major figure in Judaism, but also Christianity and Islam. He’s mentioned several times in the Quran, but none of the holy books talk about him visiting Uzbekistan.
David’s association with this spot, then, comes only from local legend. There are actually two versions of the story connecting him to the Hazrat Daud Cave, which is accessible via a set of 200 descending stairs past the mosque.
According to local legend, David was at some point sent by Allah to proselytize monotheism in Asia. As the story goes, the region was inhabited by Zoroastrians who rejected David’s teachings. They were so enraged that he was forced to go into hiding.
With nowhere to hide, Allah gave him the power to part rocks with his bare hands, and so he both created and took refuge inside the cave here.
One problem with this tale, however, is that Zoroastrianism is essentially a monotheistic religion, and it would even go on to have a major impact on the Abrahamic faiths.
Contrary to what one might expect, the other version of the tale doesn’t have David coming here while on the run from Saul.
Rather, it states that David was transported here by a jinn (genie) in preparation for his fight against Goliath.
But a demon suddenly transported Goliath there as well, and David had to run. In this version, he runs to hide, and the rocks along a cliff turn as soft as wax in his hands, allowing him to form this opening.
Arriving at the cave entrance, the place was packed with dozens of visitors waiting for their turn (the photo above was taken upon leaving). Due to the limited size inside the cave, we had to wait for enough people to come out before we were allowed in.
I hadn’t anticipated this, but I ended up waiting 30 to 40 minutes before I made it inside, where photos were strictly prohibited.
Upon entering the narrow opening, we walked along a path until reaching a much wider cavern. A number of people were already seated, and the people around me sat down, too. In total, there were probably around 100 or so people in the cave.
Then a ceremony commenced. An imam was seated at the front and led everyone in prayer. Not sure what to do, I watched what other people were doing and attempted to mimic them.
We then lined up in front of a rock at the far end of the cavern. A white sheet had been placed over a rock, which supposedly marks what’s believed to be David’s handprint.
Once it was someone’s turn, the imam would utter a blessing as visitors were expected to make a donation. Then you’d make your way out.
This was the part when you’re supposed to make your wish, but I hadn’t come with a particular desire in mind. Rather, I visited Hazrat Daud Cave from more of an anthropological perspective – though it also made for a nice hike.
Ironically, while the tale was created to promote the virtues of Abrahamic monotheism over the ancient ‘fire worshipping’ customs of the land, the whole experience felt rather ‘pagan’ to me.
If I had to guess, I’d say that Hazrat Daud Cave was considered holy long before Islam, though I haven’t come across any info on its true origins.
All in all, I don’t regret making the visit to Hazrat Daud. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel sorely out of place. Therefore, I’d only recommend this excursion to those with a particular interest in ancient legends and unique local customs.
Eventually returning to the parking lot, I negotiated with a taxi driver to take me back to Samarkand for $15 USD, meaning I spent just under $25 for the roundtrip journey. The cave itself was free, making it one of the few attractions in Samarkand that still is.
Additional Info
Though it only has a fraction of Tashkent’s population with around 600,000 inhabitants, Samarkand is still a large and sprawling city. And given how spread out many of its landmarks are, you’re going to be somewhat reliant on ride hailing apps like Yandex Go regardless of where you stay.
With that said, the closer you stay to Registan Square, the better. Not only is it Samarkand’s top highlight, but staying nearby will put you in walking distance of several other (but not all) of the city’s prominent landmarks.
In contrast with Bukhara and Khiva, I struggled a bit with finding well-located and reasonably priced accommodation in Samarkand. Ultimately, I stayed at a place called Hostel Muborak, which was just 15 minutes on foot from Registan Square, and even closer to the Bibi Khanum Mosque.
Though it was actually well under my typical budget, there didn’t seem to be any other good options in the area for even double or triple the price at the time of my visit.
Unfortunately, despite its high rating on Booking, the location was the only thing I liked about Hostel Muborak. The walls were paper-thin, and on many nights people would be coming and going in the middle of the night while slamming doors. The staff completely ignored some basic questions sent via WhatsApp, and no laundry was available at the guest house. The nearest laundromat, they told me, was a ten-minute drive away.
Checking again, there do seem to be numerous other options within close distance to Registan Square that either didn’t exist, or perhaps just weren’t available at the time of my visit.
Registan Palace, Gulsara Hostel, Century Registan, and Hotel Muqaddas all have high ratings and are situated in excellent locations.
Note that when visiting Uzbekistan, you’re supposed to collect little slips of paper from each accommodation proving where you stayed and for how many nights. You may then be asked to show them when leaving the country.
A lot of hotel owners will tell you that the system is digitized now and therefore it shouldn’t matter anymore. There are also many cases where the officers won’t ask anything at all.
But the reality on the ground is that immigration officers are indeed still sometimes asking for the paper slips. And I’ve met some travelers who got themselves into trouble when they couldn’t provide them.
I entered and exited the country twice, and though I wasn’t asked anything during my first exit, I was asked during my second. Fortunately, I had them on me.
Generally speaking, Uzbekistan is one of the easier countries to travel through in Central Asia thanks to its rail network. You can easily book tickets online or via the official Uzbek Railways app.
Coming from Bukhara, you have the choice between either a regular speed train (2.5-3.5 hours) or an express ‘Afrosiyob’ train (about 1.5 hours). Numerous trains leave throughout the day.
From Tashkent, the regular train lasts around 4.5 hours, while the express train takes 2-3.
It’s also possible to travel between Samarkand and Khiva by train, with the journey lasting around 9.5 hours. I arrived in Samarkand this way via an overnight train.
It’s also possible to take a direct train from Termez, with the ride lasting 9-10 hours.