Yazd, The Exemplary Adobe City in the World
This article has mentioned different cultural or natural attractions of Yazd city. There are several point of Yazd city features and resident people of Yazd.
With the area of 740 hectares, the historical area makes the city of Yazd a unique masterpiece of old civilization. The historical city of Yazd boasts a number of neighborhoods full of old world appeal like Fahadan, Khoramshah, Sare Jam, Mir Qotb, Yaa’qoubi, Shesh badgiri, out of which Fahadan enjoys the splendor of the longest history. With the characters reminiscent of Ilkhanid era, the impressive buildings survive the lifelong history intact. Magnificent in their architecture, décor, towering walls, the central courtyard, 3-door and 5-door chambers, the picturesque houses like Mahmoudi house, Lariha house, A’rab zadeh house. The structure and architecture of these houses is specialized for desert and dried environments. People of desert cities like Yazd and Kashan adopted these architectures to tolerate the hotness of the weather of Yazd. The thick adobe walls keep warmness in the winter and don’t let the hot air comes in within summer weather. The Yard of these houses locate in the center of the house and these houses in Yazd have rooms around the yard, then the entrance door of the room and its window are situated toward the yard. There is no other in the room, so the houses in Yazd have an emb`edded privacy, since there weren’t any windows toward the outside of houses. There was also a big pool with short deep was located in the center of the yard and small bed to plant sour orange tree. Sour orange trees are adopted to Yazd environment and make it more pleasant.
The city of yazd is blessed with its prominent landmark, water reservoir. Seated in the center of the neighborhoods, these elaborate structures consisting of a tank, a dome, and a wind tower are made out of lime mortar and sand. The Shesh Badgiri water reservoir is quite a site to see. The water of these water reservoir has been supplied with water of Qanat, you can find more information about eleven Qanat that has been registered in world heritage list in UNESCO site.
(picture of Badgir)
The city of Yazd is also distinguished by the finely designed in the old neighborhoods, the formidable structures function like the respiratory system of the city. A typical wind tower boasts a body, shelves, partitions, and A ceiling. These magnificent structures vary in forms and their bases may be in the form of a square, an oblong, or an octagon.
The city of yard, known as “the city of worshipers” has conserved much of its Iranian and Islamic values. The social cultural and religious fabrics haven always been a focal point. drawing the attraction of all Iranian and non- Iranian tourists. But by the way, following of three religions, Muslims, Jews and Zoroastrian live together in peace and fine manner.
(picture of Mosque and Other temples)
You can find in Yazd an especial ceremony, that is held during Moharam and Safar in Lunar year. This ceremony leads that many people from all around the country gather to visit this ceremony. There are some sightseeing tours of these ceremonies and it helps to know the story beyond them.
This ceremony is a memorial for Shia belief that the grandson of their prophet had been killed in today Iraq. Because on that era these group of people didn’t have funeral ceremony, the Nakhl is the symbol of it and people moan for that.
(Moharam ceremony)
The historical core of Yazd city has been registered in World heritage UNESCO in July 2017.
The reason that this site has been registered is because there is symbiosis among following of three religions, Islam, Jewish and Zoroastrianism. This core is still alive and the people with different believes and thought live in peace.
When you travel to Iran you have many choices of visiting various structures of mosques. These structures are the combination of Iranian- Islamic arts. As a symbol, in Yazd, the congregational mosque of Yazd city, located in the core of city, it means that the living has been held around the great mosque, the trading and economical center of the city, Bazaar, the trading and business center, the schools and public baths. As mentioned before, water reservoir has been used for the required water of the people. These reservoir has been filled twice a year by Qanat water flow and kept there to supply the needed water of people of Yazd. Most of them have been located in the crowding places that more people could access them easily, somewhere like, mosque, schools and passage of Bazaars. These structures had many stairs, the distance between the reservoir that has been mentioned before which saved water and the entrance could more than 100 meters, so there was a slope to access them, then there were more than fifty stairs to access the water. At the entrance gate of water reservoirs there was a huge stone like bowl, called Sangab. There is many Sangab in Isfahan city too. They were used in such situation: Young people that were strong enough, brought water from down stairs and filled this bowl. then old people or someone that has passed by the gate and been too tired to go down could use the water. Indeed, young people has filled it as a charity work.
(schools, passages and other paths of water reservoir)
The great mosque of Yazd has been build and reconstructed in different era, from 14th century to 20th century. The tiles of the mosques had been designed and implemented during 120 years. The lofty portal of the congregational mosque is the highest portal in Iran. you can find many different Iranian- Mithraism elements that had been used among Iranian since a long time ago. Although Iranian had accepted Islam after Arab invasion, but they kept their Iranian culture alive. While visiting Iran and especially Yazd, you will find ancient Iranian elements more than Arab symbols. You see Swastika that is an Iranian element in Islamic place like mosque. If you visit Meybod a city in Yazd province you will find a rug that its design is Swastika and have been used for many centuries.
(great mosque pics)
In historical core of Yazd, there is a monument that belongs to the 10th century, it is called 12 Imam monument nowadays and is the only building which is not corrupted and has been stable since that era. This place has been built by the order of the reigning of Yazd on the 10th century.
While visiting Yazd city you face a nice-built dome near the mentioned monument that is designed differently.
It is called Zenden-e-Eskandar which has been built as a school in 14th century. After sometimes this building corrupted and abandoned. Because of the downstairs that was like a dungeon, people who passed by called it a jail. Nowadays this school has been repaired.
(Ziayee-school pic)
What was mentioned is about the historical core of Yazd city. While talking about the monuments and historical sites that is available to visit in Yazd, you can go to Amir Chakhmaq complex that is deserved to visit. This complex has been consisted of school, water reservoir, public bath and a caravansary. The goal to build this complex out of the old Yazd city on that era is that when people who had traveled to Yazd, could stay at caravansary and use other options that was provided for them. There is also a mosque that has not any minaret and it means that a woman has built it.
Nowadays this mosque is remained and the complex is used for Mohomaram Ceremony in Yazd.
(Amirchakhmaq pic)
One of the destination that trip to Yazd advice you to get is Water museum. This museum is located in front of Amirchakhmaq complex and is open up to 1900 every day. You know living in desert that is no accessible water supply like river or enough rain, can be terrible. But people who had choose desert as their living land could cope with challenge and find out the solution. They dig a canal horizontally from the city to the Shirkooh mountain which is 4700 meters’ height Above sea level, to get a well that could supply their water. This canal had an especial slope to lead the water flow to the city, and in each definite distances there was a shaft that make the excavation of sand and soil easily. When you visit the museum trip to Yazd suggests you to ask the museum guide that is there describe the system of digging Qanat. It is really interesting because every details of excavating had been calculated very carefully. As was mentioned before you can find more information about this system online on world heritage site.
Indeed, when you decide to travel to Iran, and Yazd, you check word heritage sites to get what is registered in its list. It is notable that two gardens among nine Iranian gardens that have been registered in world heritage list are located in Yazd province. You can find more information about features of Iranian garden in world heritage site. Dolat-abad garden which is located in Yazd city has been built by reigning of Yazd in 17th century.
The wind tower of the palace is the highest wind towers in Iran.
(dolat abad garden pics)
Another Iranian garden that is registered in world heritage sites is Pahlavanpour which is located near Yazd, Mehriz city. It has tall trees that flow of water is still there from Qanat water.
Dakhme, tower of silence, is a destination that is deserve to visit during travelling to Iran. Dakhme is the place that Iranian in the Median era that has settled down in Iran in 17 B.C, chose to put their corpse there after death in the places that there was not enough land to bury death body. In Iran, there were three solutions to get rid of corpses. The first one was common in the places that was vast, they bury the corpses, the second one was to cremate the corpse in the places that there was jungle and the needed wood. The third one that had started again during Arab invasion since there was no enough time to bury all the corpse, is to put them top of a mountain named Dakhme and abandoned it and let Vulture to feed from them.
It is an amazing place that shows the visitors the end of life and it is a good place to end your visit of Yazd while sunset, this site is open up to sunset.
(tower of silence pictures)
Trip to Yazd office is located in front of Varahram fire temple. More than 5,000 Zoroastrian live in Yazd. There are many fire temples in Yazd, but fire of this one is oldest and priest hasn’t let this fire to turn off more than 1400 years. Anyone may think that Zoroastrian pray fire, but indeed, they know fire as one of the four classical elements that they try to not make them dirty. You can read more about classical element that is sacred to Zoroastrian and also for Greek people too, in this link. Zoroastrian believe that fire is more sacred because it has some features: it gives warmness to others as it burns itself. While burning, fire goes upside and it shows improvement.
As mentioned before, Zoroastrian live in Yazd more than other cities of Iran. There is a museum located near fire temple that shows the Zoroastrian lifestyle and it is a good show of their living. It is very good to visit this museum that deserve to see when you don’t have enough time to visit all the Zoroastrian sites all around Yazd province. The building of this museum has been established by Markar that you can read more about his life in this link. He has denoted all his capital to orphan children to make facilities to help them be educated. He also received the honor badge from Reza shah Pahlavi because of his charity works in Iran.
Indeed, traveling to Yazd city shows a significant signs of ancient Iranian resident. The people, the architectures and the talented and professional method of excavating Qanat is a good example of Yazd city. In another article the methods .of digging Qanat will be explained
