Aghazadeh House, Abarkuh

🕰️When was it built?

The house and its windcatcher date from the Qajar period and belonged to Seyyed Hossein Abarqouei, one of the wealthy men of Abarkuh. The complex was added to Iran's National Heritage List on 12 February 1997 as number 1838.

🏛️What was it built for?

This was a family home, with rooms on three sides of the courtyard. As the seasons and the weather changed, the family moved between different parts of the house. The windcatcher was built to manage the air, and the rooftop pavilion to bring light inside.

👀What you will see

• The main windcatcher is eighteen metres tall and, unlike many windcatchers, has two storeys.
• Nineteen air vents sit in the opening of the windcatcher and connect with its second section.
• The central courtyard has a large stone pool, with rooms along three of its sides.
• The south room is cross-shaped, which sets it apart from a plain rectangular room.
• The rooftop pavilion has muqarnas work, which decorates the ceiling and also helps let light into the house.

💡Something interesting

Since 2014 the front of this house has been printed on one of Iran's banknotes. So you may already know the shape of its windcatcher before you ever travel to Abarkuh.

🎒Good to know before you go