The heat was becoming unbearable walking the adobe clay alleys in the ancient desert city of Yazd in Iran. But the famous windcatchers of the city would soon bring relief.
“Damn, it’s hot”, I said to myself with sweat drenching the t-shirt down my back.
It was midsummer and going on 40 degrees (celsius) as the city nestles between Iran’s two largest deserts, the Dasht-e-Kavir and Dasht-e-Lut.
Upon entering the guesthouse that I was staying in the old city I was welcomed with a cool breath of air.
This was no modern air-conditioning at work though, but ancient engineering in the form of the ‘windcatchers of Yazd’, that buildings still use to this day, its effectiveness proven over the millennia.
The windcatcher design has been in use for three thousand years and the Achaemenid Empire used them in their city designs in ancient Persia, including Yazd which is 5000 years old.
It’s in Yazd that I saw the most impressive windcatchers in Iran, partially due to the old city itself with its adobe architecture.
It’s an ingenious way of cooling that involves no modern need for electricity and definitely makes ones stay a better time during the hot summer heat.
They have zero carbon impact and are perfectly environmentally friendly as well as costing nothing to run.
The windcatchers in Yazd are always four or eight-sided and capture the air into their towers which then cools down the house.
They actually look like ancient mini skyscrapers! The tallest windcatcher in Iran, Dolat Abadis, is located in Yazd.
It’s not just some places in Iran that use the windcatchers as they can be found in other parts of the Persian gulf and various places in the Middle East in general.
You may be wondering what happens if there is no wind?
Well the windcatchers also work in another way and that is the chimneys funnel up the hot air from below and release it out of the buildings when there is no wind, so they still help in keeping houses cool even if there is no wind.
The windcatchers work in tandem with underground channels that transport water from deep wells to the surface. When the breeze from the windcatchers hits this water it creates a natural cooling effect.
Anyway, enough with the technical side of things. Let’s just say they are a great piece of old engineering and an ingenious one at that.
Once inside the cool alleys with air permeating in from the windcatchers, everything in the summer heat just evaporated and the feeling of being tired disappeared.
There’s something to be said for finding a good cool place to be amongst the heat.
In fact, one of the best things to do in Yazd when there is to simply wander around the ancient alleyways and markets.
Thankfully some of this is cooled down by the windcatchers, although to fully appreciate them you will find that most supply the cool air into buildings.
Exploring Yazd in Iran is fascinating and I highly recommend anyone visiting Iran to go out of there way to visit this ancient city and enjoy the cooling effects from the windcatchers when there.
The Windcatchers of Yazd
Yazd is one of the most interesting cities in Iran to visit and enjoying the cool air from the ancient windcatchers is a delight if visiting in hotter weather.
Despite modern technology these days, the ancient engineers really were geniuses.
Enjoy your time in Yazd.
For more on travel in Iran take a look at my Iran destination page.
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