How Ancient Wind Catchers Still Inspire Sustainable Living In Iran

The wind catchers or the Badgirs, as called in Persian, are one of the engineering marvels developed in Iran. According to a report by the BBC, wind catchers are tall, chimney-like structures that protrude from the rooftops of older houses in many of Iran’s desert cities. Simply expressing, wind catchers harness the cool breezes and redirect them downwards either into the home or into underground storage rooms to refrigerate perishable foods. Research has shown that wind catchers can reduce indoor temperatures by around 10 degrees Celsius. These are some of the photos of the Badgir ventilation system.

As per the BBC report, the only problem with these systems is that they are especially susceptible to deterioration and decay. It is because they are located at the highest point of a building. The oldest wind catchers in Iran date only to the 14th Century. There are references to wind catchers in the writings of 5th-century Persian poet Nasir Khusraw as well. Nasir Khusraw is considered to be one of the greatest writers of Persian literature.

In an earlier interview with Agence France-Presse, Majid Oloumi, the head of Dowlatabad Garden, revealed more information about Badgirs. Dowlatabad Garden is the home to a towering 33-metre (100-foot) wind catcher — one of the tallest in the world. It is located in Iran’s central city of Yazd. Oloumi described the cooling method as “totally clean because it uses neither electricity nor polluting materials”. According to the Dowlatabad garden head, the wind catchers, which were once their ancestral heritage, have been forgotten. He cited the emergence of air conditioners behind the decline of Badgirs.

UNESCO listed Yazd as a World Heritage Site in 2017 and described the city as a “living testimony to intelligent use of limited available resources in the desert for survival”.

Paris-based architect Roland Dehghan Kamaraji also expressed his opinion about the wind catchers. According to him, Badgirs demonstrate that simplicity can be an essential characteristic of sustainability. As per Kamaraji, wind catchers also go against the common misconception that sustainable solutions need to be complex or high-tech.