آب انبار شش بادگیره

Shesh Badgir Ab Anbar

Useful Information

Location:	Yazd. (31.887453, 54.367653)
Open:	All year daily 7:30-20. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Cistern
Light:	none
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=30 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Shesh Badgir Ab Anbar.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

آب انبار شش بادگیره (cistern with six windbreaks) is a water cistern from the Qajar period. It was named after the six badgirs (wind breakers) on the roof. The badgirs are a typical element of Qanats. The towers look like chimneys, and actually they work almost the same way. On top of the chimney is a roof which prevents sand and dirt falling into the chimney. In the walls below the roof are openings. Wind blowing along the chimney will pull air from the chimney if the opening is on the leewards side. This causes a convection in the underground cistern and channels to the cistern. The air cools down in the underground and the wind pull the cool air from the cistern. Typically there is a room inbetween, which gets a natural air condition.

Yazd is located in the heart of Iran's central desert, and cisterns are quite important. There are around 100 cisterns in the cities. This one is quite appealing because of the badgirs and has become a tourist attraction.

Ab Anbar-e Shesh Badgir is 180 years old. Originally it was built with three badgirs on the top, the other three were added later. Because of the climate and wind direction, the badgirs of Yazd are usually octagonal in shape. The cistern has a circular form and is covered by a high dome, the badgirs are 10 m higher. Two entrances with a staircase (pashir) lead to the water pool (khazineh) in the basement, one from the north, the other from the south. This cistern is quite large and holds over 2,000 m³. The staircases have 55 steps and the water is up to 6.12 m high. The cistern has two taps, one for the use of Muslims and the other for the Zoroastrians, a religious minority.

The cistern is built of terracotta bricks, the walls and the floor are covered by mortar which makes them water tight. The mortar is called dimeh and is made of a combination of lime, ash, and sand. It is not only watertight but also resistant against the high pressure and does not influence water quality.

There are, as we said 100 cistern in the city. They are city infrastructure and its free to enter them. Of course they are important to the people and visitors must behave respectful. This one and the one at the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque are the ones which are popular with tourists. But you can also vist Masoudi Ab-anbar, dating back to the first Pahlavi era, located on the southern side of Shahid Rajaei Street. Or Haj Yousef Ab-anbar, a Qajarid mud-brick cistern in Qiyam Street. Or Khajeh Ab-anbar, which also has six wind towers, located at the beginning of the copper bazaar.