Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum

As a day trip from Bukhara, I decided to tackle a few silk road sites in the proximity. We started the day at the Minaret in Vobkent and were then to go to Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum. According to our website, the mausoleum is close to Vobkent. My Uzbek driver meanwhile seemed to take a detour getting there. When he missed the last turn left that would have made sense, I called the tour agency to clarify what was up.

He kept insisting that Chasma-Ayub was a natural last stop in Bukhara, while I kept stating we just passed it. Eventually, he agreed to drive according to google maps, taking me to Khayrabatcha, a village in the country side. He was quite amazed where we ended up, but I think we found the right location. Essentially, it's the facade of a former mausoleum with "the" or "a" sarcophagus of Chashma-Ayub.

Chashma-Ayub is a figure in Islamic tradition, revered for his ability to provide water to those in need. The name means "the spring of Job", and there are several sites in Uzbekistan named after him, including a mausoleum in Bukhara and a spring and mosque in Samarkand. And the mausoleum in the country side that you can only find if you have the proper GPS coordinates.

Paul was so kind to investigate and I think he confirmed that the tentative site is near Khayrabatcha and not the one Clyde and Casper visited in Bukhara. As such, this side would …

I visited this tentative WHS in June 2017. Ideally it would be included as an extension to Bukhara and not as a separate WHS. That way it would stand more of chance.

There is a UNESCO plaque outside as if it were already inscribed, which is something quite common in Central Asia - you either find no trace of the sites' inscription (like in Samarkand) or else the UNESCO symbol is paraded everywhere even where it shouldn't be (like in Chor Bakr).

The exterior would be a valid extension of Bukhara's WHS. On the other hand the mausoleum now houses a very interesting museum on water management in Bukhara and the information provided could easily be beefed up into a nomination file for yet another water management system like Iran's qanats or the UAE/Oman's aflaj system. It is a worthwhile stop next to the local market, however I'd argue in favour of removing the fake stork statue placed on the restored conical dome if this site is ever to be included on the WH list.