Yakhchaal
Yakhchals are found across Iran in areas where the climate enables the freezing of ice on-site in winter, or where ice and snow could be brought from nearby mountainous areas. The ice is reported to have been used in primarily in the hot summer for the production and preservation of food and drinks, and perhaps occasionally for cooling buildings.
The complex comprises of a shallow ice making pond which is filled each night from a qanat, a fresh water canal. A shading wall shields the pond from the heat of low-angle winter sun.
Ice is harvested from the pond and transferred into the Yakhchal ice store. These types of Yakhchals are reported to have been constructed from locally sourced adobe containing mud and binding materials such as animal hair and egg white.
Read more: The Physics of Freezing
Yakhchal: Ancient Refrigerators
