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Jilly_in_VA

(10,927 posts)
Thu Aug 12, 2021, 11:01 AM Aug 2021

The ancient Persian way to keep cool

From ancient Egypt to the Persian Empire, an ingenious method of catching the breeze kept people cool for millennia. In the search for emissions-free cooling, the "wind catcher" could once again come to our aid.

The city of Yazd in the desert of central Iran has long been a focal point for creative ingenuity. Yazd is home to a system of ancient engineering marvels that include an underground refrigeration structure called yakhchāl, an underground irrigation system called qanats, and even a network of couriers called pirradaziš that predate postal services in the US by more than 2,000 years.

Among Yazd's ancient technologies is the wind catcher, or bâdgir in Persian. These remarkable structures are a common sight soaring above the rooftops of Yazd. They are often rectangular towers, but they also appear in circular, square, octagonal and other ornate shapes.

Yazd is said to have the most wind catchers in the world, though they may have originated in ancient Egypt. In Yazd, the wind catcher soon proved indispensable, making this part of the hot and arid Iranian Plateau livable.

Though many of the city's wind catchers have fallen out of use, the structures are now drawing academics, architects and engineers back to the desert city to see what role they could play in keeping us cool in a rapidly heating world.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210810-the-ancient-persian-way-to-keep-cool

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The ancient Persian way to keep cool (Original Post) Jilly_in_VA Aug 2021 OP
That was fascinating, Jilly_in_VA. Thank you Diamond_Dog Aug 2021 #1
probably a lot of ancient wisdom out there we could put to use.... bahboo Aug 2021 #2
pics Celerity Aug 2021 #3
I used to wonder Jilly_in_VA Aug 2021 #4
Triggered my memory of a great aunt's house... Lars39 Aug 2021 #5

bahboo

(16,953 posts)
2. probably a lot of ancient wisdom out there we could put to use....
Thu Aug 12, 2021, 11:32 AM
Aug 2021

and VERY energy efficient...as in totally...

Jilly_in_VA

(10,927 posts)
4. I used to wonder
Thu Aug 12, 2021, 12:44 PM
Aug 2021

what those were for. Now we all know, thanks to the BBC. This is why I read on their site.

Lars39

(26,235 posts)
5. Triggered my memory of a great aunt's house...
Thu Aug 12, 2021, 06:13 PM
Aug 2021

Had a dog trot hallway separating the two sides of the house. Lovely breeze going thru it kept them cool.
I’ve always wondered what those old building parts were in the old National Geographic magazines.

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