Panj Berkeh (Five Cisterns), Gerash

🕰️When was it built?

The cisterns date from the late Qajar era and the first Pahlavi era, so they were not all built at the same time. The group was added to Iran's National Heritage List in 2019 as number 32555.

🏛️What was it built for?

The berkehs were built to collect and store rainwater. In this dry region, people kept their year's water supply in cisterns like these.

👀What you will see

• Five cisterns side by side in one enclosure, which together form a single complex.
• Walls of stone and gypsum with a sarooj coating, which held the water in.

💡Something interesting

In early 2020 a plan was set out to landscape the grounds of Panj Berkeh in three phases, paid for by the municipality of Gerash.

🎒Good to know before you go

• The Haft Berkeh of Gerash is in the same town; seeing both groups shows how the people of Gerash kept their water.
• Stand back from the openings of the cisterns.