Ice making during the Persian Empire in the middle of the desert
Yakhchal or Yakhchal (in Persian: yakhchal "ice hole"; ykh="ice" + chal="hole") refers to a type of ice warehouse that was discovered 400 years ago in Persia. These are warehouses for preserving food for a long time. It has been found in both the Lut Desert and the Kuir Desert, whose climate varies from a cold desert climate (BWk) to a hot desert climate (BWh).
** “Yakhchal” or “ice hole” is an architectural method that was used to produce ice and preserve food. The Persians were already making tons of ice and freezing food in the desert 2,400 years ago.**
The building usually has a conical dome above ground, underground storage space, shade walls, and ice troughs. It is mostly used to store ice, but sometimes it is used to store food and produce ice. Subterranean space and thick, heat-resistant construction materials insulate the storage space year-round. These buildings have been adopted and used since ancient times in Persia.
**1- Building design: The shape of the yakshāl was a dome with thick walls made of bricks and clay. This construction helped maintain a cool temperature inside the vault.**
**2- Water collection: During the winter, water was collected from rivers or from melting snow in the mountains, and this water was directed to the Yakshal River through canals.**
**3- The freezing process: The water was distributed in pools or small basins inside the basement, and during the night and in the coldest hours of the day the water would freeze due to the low temperatures in the desert at night.**
**4- Ice storage: After freezing, the ice is cut into blocks and stored in the lower part of Yakshal, where the temperature is cooler. The dome shape and natural insulation of the walls help keep the ice frozen for months.**
**5- Later use: During the summer, the stored ice was used to cool drinks, preserve foods, or even for medical purposes if necessary. In short, the Yakchals took advantage of the natural cold of desert nights to create and preserve ice, using simple but effective thermal storage and insulation techniques.**
There is no detailed information about the historical background of Yakhal until the Safavid era. Although the use of snow was widely present in historical texts, stories, and poems before the Safavid era; However, there is no mention of how it was produced. The oldest documents are related to the French traveler Jean Chardin during the Safavid period.
Source: websites