Legend of Chashma-Ayub
According to legend, St.Job was a blameless and righteous man. The Lord gave him cattle, honour, and peace in a family with seven sons and three daughters for his sainted life. Tempted by the devil, the Lord began to doubt whether Job would remain as thankful and diligent in his prayers if everything would be taken away from him. The Lord decided to test the faith and patience of the righteous man: as a result, Job lost all his possessions and children because of thieves, lightning strikes and storms. But Job said, “God has given, God has taken”. Then the devil punished him with leprosy; the purulent sores covered Job’s whole body. Job kept saying, “God has given, God has taken”. Believing in Job’s purity, the Lord gave him back his wealth and children, told him to hit the ground with his stick: this would reveal a spring from which he must wash himself to heal again.
Another legend says: It was a time when the people were suffering from a prolonged drought when St.Job reached Bukhara. Locals asked St.Job for help. He began to pray, struck the ground with his stick, and a spring of fresh water appeared in its place, bringing salvation to the population. The term “Chashma” means spring.
HISTORY OF MAUSOLEUM
The building has a rectangle shape of about 21 by 14 meters. It consists of four rooms, each built in different periods between the 12th and 16th centuries. A dome rises above each of the rooms; one can quickly identify the architectural style of the relevant era. The monument is almost entirely devoid of decorations, which gives the building a puristic look. However, unlike its name, St. Job’s tomb is not located here. There is a well in one of the building’s rooms, and the water is believed to be healing. You will see a number of locals who come to pray and take away holy water.
MAUSOLEUM TODAY
The mausoleum is located in Samanids Park on the outskirts of the old town near the Dekhkon Bazaar (ex Kolkhoz bazaar), where food, everyday items and electronic devices are sold. Today the building houses a water museum, which displays the water supply system of ancient Bukhara and its changes up to the present day.