City of cisterns
The Iranian city of Qazvin is famous for its traditional reservoirs or cisterns of drinking water, known as “ab anbars”. In the past, they were built underground to store freshwater for domestic use. Due to its geographical situation, Qazvin has always faced water shortages. To tackle this problem, more than 100 ab anbars had been built in the city. In an interview with Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), architecture expert Sanaz Safaei touched upon the significance of the underground structures.
“Ab anbars are among traditional architectural masterpieces of Qazvin, which have had an acceptable status in the culture of its people,” she said.
Safaei added that the existence of the cisterns led to the prosperity of Qazvin, and the areas which had several ab anbars were more developed than other regions of the city.
She said the Grand Mosque Ab Anbar, built in 1682, is the oldest cistern in Qazvin.
Structure of ab anbar
An ab anbar is made of various brick vaults in different forms. The main structure of an ab anbar consists of an underground storage tank and a dome to cover it. In some areas, a wind catcher is added to this structure. Wind catchers are tall, chimney-like structures that harness cool breezes and redirect them downwards to keep the water cool in the summer.
The construction material used for ab anbars was a special mortar called Sarooj, which was made of sand, clay, lime, goat hair, egg white, and ash in specific proportions, depending on the location and climate of the place. Some ab anbars had rectangular storage tanks, while some tanks had a cylindrical shape.