Thousands of years old 'AC' of Iran i.e. Badgir

 Sabri, a resident of Yazd, Iran, said that he also has water-based air conditioners, but he likes to sit in the natural AC because it reminds him of the old days.

Sabri's natural air conditioner refers to their 'Badgir'. They say: 'Under His shadow we sit.'

 The city of Yazd, located in the desert, experiences intense heat and the temperature here exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, and the thought of tea in such hot weather is nothing less than a wonder.

But after sitting in the courtyard of a windy house, even the hot sun seems dim.

One feels so relaxed here that one does not even think of saying goodbye to one's host. 

When you sit here and observe the surrounding things, you feel that thousands of years ago, in this hot climate, man invented this technique for his convenience.

Thousands of years old AC of Iran.

Badgir, the wind-puller, is a chimney-like structure that resembles the ancient buildings of Iran's desert cities.

 These vents work by drawing cool air down the building and help keep homes cool. 

And they are also used to protect things that are damaged due to heat. 

All kinds of researches have found that the temperature can be reduced by ten degrees with the help of wind turbines. 

In ancient times, from Egypt to Arab and Babylonian civilizations, such architecture was tried to overcome the harshness of the weather. 

Efforts have been made to make such buildings naturally ventilated. Badgir or ventilated buildings of this type have been seen from the Middle East to Egypt and Hindu Pakistan.

How are windmills constructed?

Windshields are constructed in the highest part of the buildings. So their maintenance is a big challenge. 

They are more prone to breakage. Buildings in Iran date back to the 14th century.

It is also mentioned in the poetry of the Persian poet Nasir Khusrau, who dates back almost a thousand years. 

While in Egypt, its pattern has been seen in some paintings that are 1300 years old even before Jesus. 

Dr. Abdul Moneim Al-Shorbaghi ​​is a professor of architecture and design at Ifat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

He used to say that 'Badgir is found from the countries of the Middle East to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.' 

These are similar to the square-shaped buildings of the palaces of the Abbasid Caliphate. And such palaces were built in the Akhizer region of Iraq in the 8th century.

Badgir originated in Arab countries?

There is also a theory that the wind turbine was invented in Arab countries and when the Arabs conquered Iran, the architecture reached Persia with them. 

Most of the buildings in Yazd city are rectangular in shape and have boxes around them for air flow. 

Local people say that there are six-sided and eight-sided badgirs. Moin, an employee of a cafe in the old building of Yazd, says that 'in Badgir, 

Boxes are made to draw the air coming from all sides. While the wind turbines of Meibad, a town some distance from Yazd, have boxes on only one side because there is only one direction of wind.

Wind turbines are constructed with the idea of ​​drawing the air in the atmosphere downwards and the hot air is forced out of the building by the pressure of the cold air. 

A window-like space is left open on the other side of the wind turbine to allow this hot air to escape. 

Even if the cold air is not blowing, the fan continues to pressurize the warm air, thereby reducing the heat in the house.

Winter and Summer Houses.

Numerous structures of the Qajar period are still in great shape in the city of Yazd.

One of them is the well known Lariha House . Implicit the nineteenth hundred years, this building is a work of art of Iranian design.

There is a rectangular yard in the center.

The structure has separate segments for summer and winter. The motivation behind separating the structure into two sections is to amplify the utilization of the sun's intensity in the colder time of year and to stay away from the sun in the late spring.

Badgir is underlying the warmed piece of this structure.

The wind from the wind passes through an arched skylight to the basement of the building. 

A basement is where perishable items are kept. If you go down the 38 stairs of this building, 

you start to feel cold even in summer. This part is called Sardab meaning cold water. The water of the canals passes through here.

Cold air and water combine to make this area as cold as a refrigerator. Earlier, ice was kept in such chambers. 

Today this type of Qanat system is gone and similarly Badgir is becoming extinct due to technological advancement and has been replaced by AC. 

Abbas Foroughi, an 85-year-old resident of Yazd, says that many people in his neighborhood have started living in apartments. 

The old houses are either lying empty or rented out to people from outside. The houses which were big and in good condition have been bought by nobles coming from Tehran and Shiraz and converted into hotels.

Mrs Farooqi, who lives in the old neighborhood of Yazd, recently sold her house, and is now living in an apartment. 

She often reminisces about the old days, saying: 'Earlier, all the children of the neighborhood used to gather together and play. People used to sit under the umbrella and breathe China. In the evening, food and drink were arranged and chatter was held there. 

Now a hotel has opened in his old house with the name of 'Royai Katim' meaning old dream.

 Mrs Farooqi says: 'I still go to my old house sometimes. He looks good now. I'm glad it's been preserved.'

Part of the world heritage 

The United Nations organization UNESCO declared Yazd city as a world heritage site in 2017. 

After that, the Cultural Heritage Institute started lending it.

 People who bought old houses here renovated them with the help of the institute and opened hotels in them. 

In this way, many old houses were saved. But Farid Ustadan, the owner of a local tour agency, says that getting loans has become difficult. 

The government has no money to take care of historical heritage. Still, he hopes that historic buildings, especially Badgir, can be saved.

Recalling his childhood days, he says that he remembers the summers at his grandfather's house when he used to spend summer afternoons under the shade of the Badgir. 

He says: 'He was far away. The wind from the wind gave the feeling of today's AC. We did not know what AC is called.' 

The teachers say that as long as tourists continue to come here, things will continue to improve and the buildings here will continue to be maintained with tourism money. 

Tourists coming here are interested in ancient buildings and buildings and we have to take care of them too. Hope we will be successful in this.