Rajabi House Windcatcher

🕰️When was it built?

The house was built in the mid-Qajar period for the Rajabi family, whose head was Semnan's kalantar, a local official. For a time it was also used by the government. It joined Iran's National Heritage List on 2 December 1996 as number 1787. It was restored and revived in 2016 and 2017.

🏛️What was it built for?

Summer and winter rooms, corridors, a windcatcher, an old bath, a cistern and a pool room form parts of the complex. Windcatchers directed air to help cool living spaces, and this one's position over the summer rooms relates to that need. Desert houses adapted different spaces to the seasons rather than relying on a single cool room.

👀What you will see

• The tall windcatcher rises from the roof of the southern summer section; follow its outline above the roofline.
• The central courtyard and garden form an open space among the rooms; view their relationship from permitted areas.
• Corridors and summer and winter rooms; ask the staff to point out each part.
• The old bath, cistern and pool room also belong to the complex.

💡Something interesting

During restoration in 2016, timber roof beams in the eastern spaces and orangery were replaced, and much of the roof was repaired. After this restoration, the house was used for hospitality.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Ask about access to the courtyard and historic sections before going.