MAZAR CHACHMA AYOUB

In Samani Park, head to the bazaar since the Bolo-Khaouz mosque. It will be renamed, in fact a chapel, as a place as revered as the mausoleum Ismail Samani. Chachma Ayoub means «job source». According to the legend, Job, the prophet of the Old Testament, would have raised a source of pure water by planting his pilgrim's stick at that place and then, upon his death, he was buried near the source. There is another tomb of the prophet near Damascus, but it is a contradiction that bothers historians more than pilgrims. The history of this source, like that of many other holy places in Central Asia, is transmitted mainly by oral tradition and the few texts are often written for propaganda purposes. Researchers have also noted that the cult of the Ancient Testament prophets is more frequent in the Muslim world than in Christian countries, a phenomenon they attribute to the influence of nestorians or to the Yemeni legends of South Arabia. In any case, the Koranic texts have made Ayoub the pattern of the sources and will find it more than once where a source of pure water springs. The recent archaeological research has established that there is a conflict built here from the th century, but the current building dates back to the th and th centuries. It consists of four main rooms in which the gurkhana, the source of holy water, and the parts intended for pilgrims are located. Near the entrance of the gurkhana, an inscription attributed the construction to Amir Hadjaj and thanked Tamerlane for his kindness. On the wooden floor, another inscription reported the arrival of the Prophet Ayoub and his death in Bukhara. This is the only building in Bukhara that dates back to Timur's time. The conical dome, built in the XIV, is typical of the architecture of Khorezm and was executed by artisans of Kounia Ourgench that Timur had brought back from his military campaigns. The lantern dome was added in the th century. The source, known for its curative virtues, is supposed to cure skin diseases. Today, it is home to a museum dedicated to the history and different water supply techniques in Bukhara.