Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yazd has been known for its silks and other fabrics since before Marco Polo passed
through. It is also home to Iran's second-largest population of Zoroastrians (see the boxed
text,
Click here
)
.
The city can be quite cold in winter and is boiling hot in summer, though not humid.
History
Yazd has a long and important history as a trading post. When Marco Polo passed this
way in the 13th century, he described Yazd as 'a very fine and splendid city and a centre
of commerce'. It was spared destruction by Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, and flourished
in the 14th and 15th centuries, with silk, textile and carpet production the main home-
grown industries. Like most of Iran, Yazd fell into decline when the Safavids were de-
feated and remained little more than a provincial outpost until the railway line from
Tehran was extended here by the last shah.
THE BADGIRS OF YAZD
Any summer visitor to Yazd will understand immediately why the city's roofscape is a forest of
badgirs
(windtowers or wind catchers). These ancient systems of natural air-conditioning are designed to catch even the
lightest breeze and direct it to the rooms below. To appreciate the effect, just stand beneath one.
Iranian
badgirs
are divided into three common types: Ardakani, which capture wind from only one direction;
Kermani, which capture wind from two directions; and Yazdi, which capture wind from four directions. Other vari-
ations can capture wind from up to eight directions. All have a structure that contains the shafts, air shelves that are
used to catch some of the hot air and stop it entering the house, flaps to redirect the circulation of the wind and a
roof covering. The currents that enter the house often do so above a pool of cool water, thereby cooling the air,
while the warm air continues its circular path, redirected upwards and out of the house through a different shaft.
Genius!
