Chasma Ayub

 In and around Samani Park, west of the Ark, is an exceptionally important structure often overlooked by tourists in their bid to take in the big-name sites emblazened on postcards and souvenir tea towels. This is Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, which purportedly marks the spot where the Prophet Job struck the arid ground and a spring of pure drinking water miraculously burst forth, saving his followers when those around them were dying of thirst. The city grew up around this holy site, and this may be a reason why the city's early Jewish community chose to settle here.

In the days before Bukhara even existed, a millennium before Islam was even a glimmer in the Prophet's eye, the prophet Job came to the Zerafshan Valley and witnessed a great and terrible drought. As people perished of thirst around him, Job struck the dusty earth with his staff and a cool source of sweet spring water brought liquid salvation. Sudden appearance of a well had astonished the people by its vivifying spring and its crystal clear water. The Chashma Ayub, the Spring of Job, commemorates this site. It is commonly believed that the water still keeps its clearness and herbal power.