Hazrat Daud Cave Pilgrimage Day

Climb the 1,303 steps to the legendary cave of Hazrat Daud in the mountains south of Samarkand — pilgrims, panoramas and a village lunch. The cave sits some 40 km from the city, above the village of Aksay, and every story told about it features David of the Bible, who is said to have parted the rock with his bare hands while fleeing his pursuers.

Uzbek families come here with a wish, climb the long staircase that zigzags up the ridge and touch the handprints and footprints pressed into the stone. You climb alongside them, past the small hilltop mosque and the tea stalls on the terraces, with the folds of the Zarafshan range opening out behind you. It is one of the few places on a Samarkand itinerary where you see faith as it is lived rather than as it is displayed.

A fully escorted day with an English-speaking guide, private transport and lunch in Aksay included.