It was a friday so things were pretty quiet in Yazd when we arrived. The fire temple is a popular spot for families to visit on the weekend and it was busy but the stores were closed and only a few doors were open for visitors. The Dolat Abad Windcatcher complex was one of those open doors.
Yazd is famous for its many windcatchers. The malqaf or tall tower has an opening at the top which faces the prevailing winds. The tower catches the wind where it is cooled by flowing over an underground water source called the Qanat. The combination of the water and cooler walls located in the lower parts of the building cools the air and provides natural air conditioning. It seems like a pretty green technology right? I wonder why we don’t see more structures like this in use today.
The tallest wind catcher standing in Iran is the one here in the Dolatabad Garden in Yazd. It’s 34 meters in height. The building was the residence of Mohammad Taghi Khan in the Zand era. The interior contains a pool which is under the windcatcher. The water seems to connect to the long rectangular pool that is outside and in front of the windcatcher. The outdoor pool is surrounded by fruit trees, flowering plants and of course several traditional cypress trees.
The building is very attractive and contains beautifully designed ceiling plaster work and colorful glass pained windows. It’s a great site to end the day and begin the days we will have in Yazd and the surrounding area. Time to finally check out our hotel and have a late lunch and tea.
farflungistan 