Historic City of Yazd
Date of Submission: 2017
State, Region or Province: Yazd Province
Category: Cultural
The desert in the central part of Iran is house to a number of settlements, most notably the city of Yazd. Although it has not enjoyed the title of the capital city, at no point in the history of Iran, the city rose in importance and prosperity as a result of its location on the Silk Road.
The fabric of the city has been so elaborately integrated with the fabric of the desert that the adaptation of life to the harsh circumstances of the desert is marvelous. Settlement in the region has been undertaken having principles of sustainable development in mind; the bioclimatic architecture of the city has caused the least amount of damage to the environment. Consequently, the urban structure of Yazd has been acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A skyline of Yazd consists of low structures, clay domes, wind-towers, mosques and sābāts (passageways). The city is furnished, almost uniformly, in earthen structures as a means of enduring the harsh circumstances of the desert. Moreover, the endurance and life of the city owes much to qanāts, as water reservoirs; wind towers, as air ventilation mechanisms; domes and mudbrick walls, as methods of facilitating air ventilation and temperature moderation; sābāts, covered passageways providing shadow for pedestrians.
