The ice house in Iran Bashny.Net

Before it was invented fridge, its functions were performed in the ice, which was considered a precious commodity, which was not easy to obtain or to do, especially during the summer. To keep meat and other products, huge chunks of ice were transported South of the Scandinavian countries in the Arctic Circle or from mountain peaks. In the UK and other European countries used ice from Norway. In Russia, collected ice along the Neva river, while the Indians used the stocks from the Himalayas. Precious goods were kept in specially constructed buildings called ice buildings, where the cold was kept during the whole year.





The most common projects involved underground chambers, usually artificial, which was built close to natural sources of winter ice such as freshwater lakes. During the winter the ice and snow were placed in the ice house and filled with insulation, such as straw or sawdust. This helped them to remain in a frozen state for many months, often until next winter. During the month the facility became a wonderful source of ice and cold. Summer in the icy place to cool drinks or make ice cream and desserts with sorbet.









Ice houses were known in Iran in the seventeenth century BC, they went out of use 50 years ago. Many disused egg-shaped structures, made of mud bricks, has been preserved in Iran to the present day. Iranian ice buildings gigantic in size, compared to be found in the West. They are also unique because of the way in which was obtained the ice.

Iran is mostly desert, where fresh water is rare, even in winter when the temperature drops below zero at night and during the day the heat comes back. Huge amounts of ice were needed to fill these vast, domed wells and cannot be transported from distant places. Inventive Iranians, instead, made your own ice.





Behind each "fridge" was a lot of small channels, where during winter nights it poured water. The channels were protected from high temperatures during the day the shade of the walls. The night a thick layer of ice has formed on the surface. Then he broke down, Packed up and moved to the ice building up before the sun rose. Every night this process was repeated until there was enough ice for the summer season. A few special walls, deep wells and cleverly constructed domes didn't miss the high temperature inside remained ice.




More than a hundred ice houses can be found throughout Iran, but very few exist in original form and full. If not we will take joint efforts to restore and preserve, most of them may not be preserved. Some out-of-use glaciers have been used as landfills.

 




Source: /users/104