ABARKOOH ICE HOUSE

Yakhchal ice house

Yakhchal

Interior of the Yakchal

This conical shaped clay structure was one of the reasons that locals were able to survive the harsh desert conditions of this region for thousands of years. This beautifully preserved structure, known as a Yakhchal (ice house) was basically an ancient refrigerator which stored ice collected during the winter months to be used during summer.
The people or the region found that a mortar mixture of sand, clay, adobe, lime, egg whites, ashes and goat hair was not only water resistant but also a great insulator. Using this ancient desert mortar, they were able to build 12 meter tall ice houses which would also extend underground.
Water channelled from the canals would be directed into big shallow pools that were built around the dome structure. The water would freeze during the night and then cut into slabs the following morning. These would then be deposited in the underground section of the ice houses separated by layers of straw.
In the summer months, the slabs would be removed and carried to various food vendors by donkey.

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