Iranian Vernacular Ice-Houses

Book excerpt: Iranian architecture is formed in relation to its Hot and Dry climate. In this climate, most of the vernacular buildings are constructed by mud or sun-dried bricks. There are so many facilities that Iranian architecture has provided for better living such as Wind-Catchers (which exhaust warm air from buildings during the day), Cisterns (with cylindrical stores placed in the depth of the earth to preserve the cold fresh water during the hot seasons), Ice-Houses with walls behind which water in shallow channels friezes at nights, etc. The great heritage of the Iranian architecture and traditions are not well known yet. The construction traditions of vernacular architecture in Iran, reveal great methods of using natural energy resources which reduce the need to the fossil fuel. Among different Iranian cultural heritage, Ice-Houses are selected as the main subject of this book.