Architecture #1: The Science of Mud

Buildings are the mold of their native landscape—the product of its climate, geography, and geology. Wood has always been an essential raw material and the foundation of traditional architecture in many parts of the world. In Japan, for instance, where forests are abundant and earthquakes frequent, wood allowed for both civil and monumental construction. Often built without a single metal part, not even a nail, these structures are remarkably resilient to tremors, though they remain extremely vulnerable to fire.

Tōdai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan: The largest wooden building in the world.

In the Middle East and parts of Europe, the traditional medium is stone. Limestone, common in our region, has been used for generations—from Canaanite cities and Second Temple-era synagogues to Islamic madrasas and the iconic cladding of Jerusalem homes.

The Parthenon, Athens, Greece: A Doric temple made of marble—which, let's be honest, is just a fancy type of limestone.

In many parts of Central Asia, the primary resource is earth, and plenty of it.

Accordingly, construction in these areas relies on mud bricks, either fired or sun-dried. Beyond the sheer availability of the material, this method provides excellent insulation against the extreme continental climate of the Asian heartland. Mud bricks are used for residential, public, and monumental buildings alike, with stylistic differences dictated by local tradition, purpose, and the desired level of grandeur.

The Samanid Mausoleum, Bukhara: Fired bricks.

Due to the relative aridity of these regions and the scarcity of rainfall, securing year-round water is of paramount importance. One of the most vital means of supplying water to cultivated plains is the kariz (کاریز) system.

The kariz, or qanat (قناة) in Arabic, is a system of underground channels that use gravity to transport snowmelt from mountain ranges to the agricultural lands at their foothills.

This is an incredibly vital system that requires immense expertise to construct and significant maintenance to combat erosion, sometimes stretching over hundreds of kilometers. Kariz systems enabled the prosperity of cities and farmland from the Middle East to Western China (East Turkestan/Xinjiang). Their destruction, whether intentional or through neglect, meant the end of human presence in the area. A prime example is the devastation wrought by the Mongol invasion of Khorasan and Western Iran in the mid-thirteenth century, which returned vast regions to a desolate state. This trend was exacerbated by the basic Mongol disdain for agriculture, their preference for cultivating pasture for their horses, and heavy taxation. Late in the Mongol period in Iran, there were attempts to reverse the situation, but many areas remained desolate for years.

Diagram of a kariz.

A section of a kariz, Xinjiang, China.

Storage pool, Kashan, Central Iran.

Bringing water is all well and good, but to keep it fit for use, it must be stored. This often requires another specialized structure common in Iran and other parts of Inner Asia: the Ab-anbar (آب‌انبار). This is an underground water reservoir, often covered by a dome and flanked by badgir (بادگیر) towers—“wind catchers.” The badgir is a structure as ingenious as it is simple, allowing hot air to exit the building while drawing cooler air in. This creates a passive air-conditioning system that keeps the water cold, sometimes just a few degrees above freezing. Wind catchers are ubiquitous in Iranian desert architecture; you can see them throughout the famous city of Yazd, if you happen to be in the area.

Diagram of a kariz-badgir system.

Ab-anbar and badgirs, Yazd.

Yazd, Eastern Iran. Source: http://www.thundertour.com/yazd.htm

Another fascinating structure is the yakhchal—essentially an ancient refrigerator. It was used to store blocks of ice, which were either brought from the high mountains or created on-site via a system of cooling pits and channels. This ice was kept deep into the scorching summer months thanks to a dome made of an exotic mixture of soil, ash, straw, and wool that provided maximum insulation, allowing the local Emir to enjoy a chilled glass of sherbet even in the blistering month of Mordad.

Yakhchal, Kerman, Southeast Iran.

In closing, there is much to learn from the principles of Iranian and Middle Eastern desert construction about creating climate-adapted, energy-efficient environments rooted in our own region. Even if it requires us to turn our heads away from Europe and back toward where our asses are currently planted: Asia.

The Town Association for Environmental Quality (TAEQ), Sakhnin, Israel: Modern construction using ancient principles.

Source: http://environment.gov.il

*All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.*