Heading from Kerman north to Yazd, I didn't have high expectations - courtesy of our highly annoying guidebook, probably (avoid Bradt guide for Iran, unless you need help with low blood pressure). How the guidebook managed to make one of the most fascinating cities of Iran look uninteresting, remains a mystery to me. But at least like this, when we reached the centre of Yazd from the inevitably remote bus station (why they build them in the middle of nowhere is another mystery), I remained with my mouth open.
Yazd, also called 'the city of windcatchers', is an ancient desert town, with a maze of adobe houses as its old centre.
It is an impressive example of how a town has adapted to a harsh desert climate.
As a sort of ancient air conditioning, many houses used the ingenious natural ventilation system of wind towers, or wind catchers to keep houses cool during the scorching summers. The towers are scattered all over the town - and they really work.
The water was supplied to the town through a network of qanats, underground water tunnels (about which I wrote a bit here) - in fact, the city has one of the largest networks of qanats in the world. If you have the time, the water museum is definitely worth visiting.
The cisterns also had wind towers, which kept the stored water cool even during the summer.
The old town has an incredible charm. The Friday mosque (Masjed e-Jameh) is impressive...
... but just lazily wandering through the small brown streets, discovering its different angles...
... gives you enough to do until you are completely cooked.
Outside of the old town, you'll most likely end up coming across the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque Complex. I haven't really figured out what exactly it is (in large part it's only a facade with nothing behind), but it's pretty.
You'll also be convinced by every person and book that you absolutely have to see the Zoroastrian Fire Temple with the sacred flame, burning without interruption since 470AD. Believe me, you don't - unless you want to view a small house containing a fire behind a glass wall, and crowds of people.
Similarly, you'll probably feel compelled to visit the Towers of Silence - Zoroastrian burial towers on the outskirts of the city. They are large open towers where dead bodies were placed to be ripped apart and eaten by birds. Those in Yazd are no longer in use, thankfully.
While they are mildly interesting, this is what impressed us the most:
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| Yazd |
It is an impressive example of how a town has adapted to a harsh desert climate.
As a sort of ancient air conditioning, many houses used the ingenious natural ventilation system of wind towers, or wind catchers to keep houses cool during the scorching summers. The towers are scattered all over the town - and they really work.
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| Wind tower: ancient air-conditioning |
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| The highest wind tower in Yazd... |
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| ... and this is how it looks from below. You could really feel the cool air coming out from it - even though it was a practically windless day. Well done to the Persian architects. |
The water was supplied to the town through a network of qanats, underground water tunnels (about which I wrote a bit here) - in fact, the city has one of the largest networks of qanats in the world. If you have the time, the water museum is definitely worth visiting.
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| The tunnel leading down to a water cistern, supplied through a qanat |
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| Water cistern from outside, with four wind towers |
The cisterns also had wind towers, which kept the stored water cool even during the summer.
The old town has an incredible charm. The Friday mosque (Masjed e-Jameh) is impressive...
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| The Yazd Friday mosque |
... but just lazily wandering through the small brown streets, discovering its different angles...
... gives you enough to do until you are completely cooked.
 |
| Cooked, but perfectly matching with the town |
Outside of the old town, you'll most likely end up coming across the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque Complex. I haven't really figured out what exactly it is (in large part it's only a facade with nothing behind), but it's pretty.
You'll also be convinced by every person and book that you absolutely have to see the Zoroastrian Fire Temple with the sacred flame, burning without interruption since 470AD. Believe me, you don't - unless you want to view a small house containing a fire behind a glass wall, and crowds of people.
Similarly, you'll probably feel compelled to visit the Towers of Silence - Zoroastrian burial towers on the outskirts of the city. They are large open towers where dead bodies were placed to be ripped apart and eaten by birds. Those in Yazd are no longer in use, thankfully.
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| A tower of silence at the back |
While they are mildly interesting, this is what impressed us the most:
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| It seems that head accidents were common here... |
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| The English warning sign was clearly an afterthought |
All in all, Yazd is the perfect place to slow down and spend a few days walking around and relaxing - which is just what we did.
And then we left the town and headed east - to see the dunes.
The thing is - the Kalut desert was definitely impressive, it was much more of a "real" desert, there was hardly anyone... but it didn't have dunes. And when we found out that on the way from Yazd to Esfahan, near the town of Varzaneh, there was a small chunk of desert with dunes, and a salt lake on the top of that, we obviously had to stop for a day.
And even though we ended up in the company of a group of happy Malaysians, it turned out to be a very nice day and half. The salt lake was interesting enough (a sort of small version of Salinas Grandes)...
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| Varzaneh salt lake |
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| Salt, not snow |
... and the dunes were impressive.
And we even had quite a lasting souvenir of them - sand in our eyes, ears, hair, between the teeth, inside the camera... literally everywhere.
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| A desert for dessert... sand between my teeth, in my nose, sand everywhere... |
We rounded off our stop in Varzaneh with a sunrise from the top of an old decrepit caravanserai...
... and a walk up a "black mountain", all basalt.
So if you're planning a trip to Iran, while Shiraz is a place I would easily skip, Yazd you should definitely see.
More on Iran
Iran (I.) - "But be careful"
Iran (II.) - From Tehran to Shiraz
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