Ancient Engineering II
Yakhchal/Ice Pit
I haven't had a chance to post the second part of the Ancient Engineering series due to the fact that I have been volunteering at VAFA Animal Shelter for long hours and have implemented the Trap/Neuter/Release system for the stray cats in my mother's compound. Yesterday, with the help of two VAFA volunteers and a neighbor, I was able to trap eight cats, take them to the vet, have them neutered, clip off the tip of the left ear for marking, took care of them during the night here at my mother's apartment, and then gradually released them back where I got them from today. All eight are doing fine.
Now to the Yakhchal/Ice Pit.
Ice in the desert without modern technology? You bet! By 400 BC, Iranian engineers had figured out a way of storing ice in the desert during the high peaks of summer and throughout the year.
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| Abarkuh Yakhchal in Yazd. |
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| Inside Abarkuh Yakhchal, Yazd. |
To do so, a structure was built
with a vented, dome-shape top and an underground storage space. The dome could
reach a height of 59 feet (18 meters) and the underground space around 180,00
cu ft (5,000 m3), keeping the temperature constantly cool during the
day.
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| Working structure of a Yakhchal. |
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| Side view and aerial view of a Yakhchal plan. |
The structure of the yakhchal was always built slightly
away from the town to avoid town-generated heat. The construction material was
heat and water-resistant and was made of a special mortar called sarooj. Sarooj was a mixture of sand,
clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash. The walls of the domed structure were 6.5 inches
thick (two meters). The thickness of the walls combined with the sarooj mixture
created an amazing insulation for maintaining ice throughout the hottest summer
days.
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| Meybod Yakhchal, Yazd. |
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| Inside entrance to Meybod Yakhchal, Yazd. |
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The pit of Meybod Yakhchal in Yazd. This deep pit remained cold throughout
the year, allowing the ice to remain frozen even during the hot summer days. |
Once the dome and underground space were built, an east-west
outdoor wall was added to the north side of the yakhchal. Water was brought
down to this wall via a qanat during the winter (see previous post on qanats).
The shade of the wall helped quicken the freezing of the water into ice.
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Water from the qanat was frozen by the wall next to
the Yakhchal and stored in the pit. |
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| The heat-resistant sarooj mortar was an excellent insulation. |
After
a few days, when the ice was about 19 inches thick (50 cm), it was cut and
stored in the pit of the yakhchal. This process continued until enough ice was
collected to last the summer and well into the next winter.
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| Sirjan Yakhchal, Kerman. |
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| The inside of a Yakhchal. |
Ice in the yakhchals would be broken into pieces and sold in
town. Chilled desserts and fruit drinks were kept in the yakhchals and enjoyed
by the wealthy. Paloodeh, or Faloodeh, a cold dessert made of thin noodles,
frozen sugar, rose water syrup, lime juice, and ground pistachios was made
and enjoyed by people as far back as 400 BC. Paloodeh is one of my favorite
deserts in Iran!
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| Paloodeh, an amazing, traditional ice dessert. |
With the development of modern electric refrigerators, the
use of these wonderful buildings declined and the few that remain standing
today have become historic sites. Some are in decay, without any care given to
them. In Iran, the term yakhchal is used to refer to all forms of electric refrigerators.
Our Naneh was from Abarkuh!
ReplyDeleteYour Naneh was from a good place!
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