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A picture of the inside of a yakhchal from Ancient Persia
A picture of what yakhchals looked like from the outside
Yakhchals - Brief Overview
Yakhchals are tall, beehive looking structures, which can measure up to 60 feet tall. They consist of the ice chamber, towers called badgirs, and shallow pools called mohabbat. The ice chamber is an underground chamber, which can be up to 5000 cubic meters, this chamber holds ice and keeps it cold. The towers, known as badgir, are used to collect cold air and move it down into the ice pit. There's a hole at the top to allow for warm air to be pushed out. The mohabbat are used to actually create ice. On cold winter nights, these pools are filled with water, using radiative cooling to make ice even when it doesn't reach freezing temperatures. The yakhchals were also coated with a substance called sarooj, which consisted of a mix of clay, egg whites, goat hair, lime, and ash. The sarooj kept it insulated and helped to protect the contents of the ice pit from the outside weather.
Impacts of The Invention of Refrigeration
Impacts of The Invention of Refrigeration
Preservation of Food:
Preservation of food was revolutionized by building yakhchals, which were up to 60 feet tall. They were essentially large, eco-friendly refrigerators made from natural materials. They were made from mud-bricks and coated with a mixture called sarooj made of clay, egg whites, goat hair, lime, and ash. This sarooj insulated the inside and kept it cold. These yakhchals were able to keep food preserved for months on end, even in the hot summers in the desert. This helped them avoid starvation for almost the entire reign of the empire.
Revolutionization of Climate Responsive Design:
By inventing the yakhchal, Persians made the very first climate responsive refrigerator. Using tall towers attached to them called badgirs, they harnessed wind and brought it down into the underground pit, which was up to 5000 cubic meters. There were also shallow channels called mohabbat along the sides of yakhchals used to make more ice in winter. By filling the mohabbat on a cold night, they were able to use radiative cooling to make ice, even if it never reached zero degrees Celsius.
How It worked
How It worked
Tall towers called badgir were used to keep it cold by bringing down cold air from winds high off the ground, while simultaneously pushing warmer air out of the top of the yakhchal. Sarooj kept it insulated and protected from solar radiation.
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