The Fire Temple and wind-catchers in Yazd, Iran

*WS 165 - The Fire Temple and wind-catchers in Yazd, Iran*

Yazd is a city in central Iran with half a million people. We were here in 2018. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, characterized by the narrow lanes and the yellow brown mud-brick buildings, 1st 2 photos. 

Zoroastrianism, 2,600 years old is one of the world's oldest religions, with the key tenets of one god, and heaven and hell. The founder is an Iranian, Zoroaster. It was the state religion of the pre-Islamic Iranian empires. Most Zoroastrians now live in India. They number about 50,000 in Iran. 

Yazd has the only Fire Temple in Iran, the official temple of Zoroastrianism, built in 1934. The 4th photo shows the symbol of the religion, the guardian angel Faravahar, on top of the temple building. The sacred fire in the temple is said to have been burning since about 470 AD. The charcoal fire is shielded from the public by a glass partition, 5th photo. The 6th shows a typical altar at the home of a Zoroastrian, displayed in the museum next to the temple. 

Yazd is a very dry and hot place. It is the wind-catcher centre in Iran. A wind-catcher is a Persian architectural element to create natural ventilation in a building to bring down the temperature. The cooling effect could be so efficient that the freezing water stored within the water reservoir in winter could still be cold during summer. A bit unbelievable. The 7th photo shows several wind-catchers and the domed structure is a water reservoir. The 8th photo shows a similar set at the main city square. 

The city centre's landmark is the Amir-Chakhaq Complex originally constructed in the 15th century. The main building is the tekyeh, the public mourning structure for Shia Muslims, last 2 photos.  The rows of perfectly proportioned sunken alcoves are most photogenic in the late afternoon, when the copper-coloured sunlight is captured within each alcove.