TAJIKISTAN. Shaartuz. 2008. Bathers at Chali Char Chashma (44 springs), located in southern Tajikistan near Shaartuz. In the midst of the desert, five water springs break into 39 smaller ones and merge into a single channel. Legend holds that a holy caliph arrived here and asked Allah for some water. As he struck the foot of a nearby hill with his hand, five pure springs gushed from the five holes made by his fingertips. Visitors recite prayers, bathe, and collect the water for drinking.