The Bride of the Desert

Surrounded by the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts, and wild "black mountains" the ancient city of Yazd, which developed according to this unique and difficult setting, became known as "the bride of the desert." Yazd is also famous for some of the best preserved ancient Iranian architecture, peaceful desert charm, silk weaving, and cotton candy (PASHMAK).

Chakhmagh Palace

Yazd has the biggest population of Zoroastrians, dating back to the Sassanid era but increasing after the Arab-Islamic conquest, when many Zoroastrians fled here. Some of the famous Zoroastrian sites include (among many others) a fire temple which houses an 'eternal flame' since 1474 (the flame was transfered here from another site where it burned since 1174), as well as this eerie and unusual graveyard, know as 'Towers of Silence' or 'Dakhmeh-ye Zartoshtian'.

They consist of a pair of stone towers resting on two hills, side by side, just outside the city. According to tradition, corpses were places inside a tower exposed to the elements, but not touching the ground, as the earth is considered sacred. The bodies would eventually get eaten by vultures, while a priest would sit along to see which eye was poked out first, for various symbolic reasons. The practice was officially banned by the 1960s, and today Zoroastrians bury their dead in concrete blocks, so the corpse still does not mingle with the earth.

The main fascination of Yazd is the traditional Persian architecture, especially the 'bad-gir' or wind-catcher, and 'qanat', the ancient water and irrigation system. The bad-gir is a tower structure, designed to naturally ventilate buildings; Qanats are precisely engineered water wells dating back centuries. The two technologies combined to create a practical cooling system, which by 400BC was mastered with the storage of ice in the middle of the desert, in what was called 'yakhchal'--or ice pit. Today the name 'yakhchal' is still used for modern refrigerators.

Bad-Gir/Wind-Catcher at Bagh-e Dolat Abad

Ancient refrigerators

Two girls and a Bad-Gir

Deep inside the ancient houses, down a couple flights of stairs, we discovered a most pleasant room with a surprisingly cool temperature, far away from the dry nauseating heat outside. It was the 'yakhchal' room, chilled with the old school air-conditioning system, where food and water was stored, but also where people gathered for an afternoon nap, or just some relaxation and escape from the mid-day heat.

The roofs of old houses and bazaars are round, like in Kashan, and the explanation I found most convincing was that the the dome shape is never completely engulfed by the sun, thus maximizing the amount shade.

The 'kucheh' or ancient alley, was also designed to protect the urban area from dust and heat from the surrounding desert, creating pleasant shady spaces to wander about.

Although the city is small, we got lost quite a bit. Every time we asked for directions, which was often, they would respond in sing-song accent, nodding their head to some obscure direction:

“Go that way. There is a 3-way intersection. But don’t take it! Keep on going, you will see a light........Don't take the 3-way. And don't get lost now!”

Again and again, the mysterious ‘3-way’ appeared in their answer, wherever we happened to be, and we were supposed to ignore it completely. Act as if it isn’t there, they would argue. I dreamed that the town was synchronized to the 3-way intersection musical. The 10^th time we heard this response I had to hold my breath not to laugh.

Unfortunately we missed out on shopping at 'Haj Khalifeh', the famous confectionery shop, a major institution since 1916. It was closed on the day we departed, Friday, but we did get a look when we first arrived. Inside it looks more like an office than a sweets shop. There are no display cases, and customers judge the sweets by placing toothpicks inside the product, with a rating system of 1, 2 or 3 toothpicks for the best stuff.

Haj Khalifeh:

Outside the Bagh-e Dolat-Abad --"No Residence Allowed"

This friendly old man sits at the top of a water well inside the mosque. Before allowing you to enter the narrow steps leading to an anti-climactic well, he sticks his hand out and rubs his fingers together, signaling a mandatory tip.

Women praying at quiet friday mosque in nearby Ardakan (ex-President Khatami's village)

An hour outside Yazd, into the desert, is a holy Zoroastrian site called 'Chak Chak' - or Drip Drip. The legend goes that Sassanian Princess Nikbanu fled the Arab invasion in AD 637 to this spot, and in the midst of drought and desert, threw her staff at the cliff and it started dripping, hence the name, "chak...chak". A tree grew in that very spot, into what is today a giant, lush green blob jutting out of the steep, dry wall. It is quite an impressive work of nature, and every summer thousands come to pay their superstitious duties.

The famous Chak Chak tree 'Pir-e Sabz' --or Old Green, outside the temple

Picnicking outside the temple, in the shade of Pir-e Sabz

Inside Chak Chak's temple, the famous drip,
caught inside a blue bucket and enveloped with incense

view from ChakChak

On the way back from Chak Chak, we stopped at this deserted village, which now seems to serve solely as an Islamic truck-stop.

"Private Bathroom" at the village petrol station (the only functioning site)
There was nothing special inside, same old disgusting bathroom

At the bus station, on my way to Shiraz, the most eligible meal available was the “Sandevich-e Macaroni” – Spaghetti Sandwich. It was actually quite tasty!

In general the Yazdis seemed a bit slow (but extremely friendly), although it’s probably because of the heat. Shirazis on the other hand have no excuse :)
To be continued…