Hazrati Dovud Cave

A cave in the hills

The Hazrati Dovud cave lies near the villages of Oqsoy and Mehnatkash in Nurobod District, 30 km southeast of the district centre, where the western spurs of the Zarafshan Range push like a rocky wedge into the Karshi steppe. The entrance sits at about 1,270 metres.

The pilgrimage begins with 1,303 steps up the hillside. After praying at a small mosque on the summit, visitors descend about 200 steps on the far side to the cave mouth. Inside is a dark, lamp-lit passage between half a metre and 4 metres wide and some 15 metres high; sources put its length at anywhere from 30 to 60 metres. At the end are marks that local belief holds to be the handprints and footprints of the Prophet David, and pilgrims touch them as they make a wish.

The legends

One story says David was sent east to preach the oneness of God and, pursued by fire-worshippers, fled to this mountain; when he prayed, the rock turned soft as wax and opened to shelter him. Another tells that he hid here before his battle with Goliath. These are folk legends with no historical basis, but they have drawn pilgrims to the cave for centuries. Oqsoy has another tale too: on moonlit nights, fairy maidens called pari are said to bathe at a waterfall in a nearby gorge, and anyone who glimpses them loses his mind — so the elders advise staying away after dark.

Visiting

Stalls line the staircase selling water, mountain herbs and souvenirs, and there are guesthouses at the foot of the hill. Villagers offer donkeys and horses to those who cannot manage the climb. The government plans to create a tourist zone in Oqsoy and neighbouring Mehnat in 2026–2027. The shrine is southwest of Samarkand, roughly 45–50 km away — about an hour by car.