My Hometown

Yazd province

Yazd province, in the center of Iran, is located between the latitudes 31 53' and 32 56' N. and longitudes 52 55' and 57 30' E.

The city of Yazd's first mention in historic records predate it back to around 3000 years B.C. when it was related to by the name of Isatis, and was then part of the domain of Medas,an ancient settler of Iran.

Yazd has an area of 69,605 square kilometers and based on the 1995 divisions.It has 7 countries named Yazd, Ardakan, Bafq, Taft, Abarkuh, Mehriz and Meybod, 16 towns, 14 rural districts and 38 villages.

The center of this province is Yazd.City in central Iran with 330,000 inhabitants(1996).It is located in the eastern part of central Iran situated on the high, desert plateau that forms much of the country. Admidst the immense desert, Yazd retains its sterling of old in religion, traditions and architecture.It is situated on the border zone between the Great Salt Desert to the north and the Great Salt Desert to the south.

The word Yazd means, feast and worship. The city of Yazd has resisted the modern urbasisation changes and mentained its traditional structure. The geographical features of this region have made people developed special architectural styles. For this reason, in the
older part of the city most houses are built of mud-bricks and have domed roofs.These materials served as insulation preventing heat from passing through.

The existence of special ventilation structures, called Badgirs, on the roofs is a distinctive feature of the architecture of this city ( A Badgir is a high structure on the roof under which, in the interior of the building, there is a small pool). Therefor, Yazd has presented its stable identity at the foothills of the 4000 meter Shir Kooh.

The Jame Mosque (Friday Mosque) crowned by a pair of minarets, the highest in Persia, the portal's facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling tile work, predominantly blue in
colour.Whitin there is a long arcaded court where, behind a deep-set south-east Ivan, is sanctuary chamber.This chamber, under a squat tiled dome, is exquisitely decorated with faience mosaic:its tall faience Mihrab, dated 1365, is one of the finest of its kind in existence.

The Mosque was largely rebuilt between 1324 and 1365, and is one of the outstanding 14th century buildings in Persia.The tile work has recently been skilfully restored and a modern library built to house the mosque's valuable collection of books and manuscripts.

Zoroastrians have always been populous in Yazd.Even now roughly ten percent of the town's population adhere to this ancient religion, and though their Atashkadeh (Fire Temple) was turned into mosque when Arabs invaded Iran, a dignified new fire temple was inaugurated thirteen hundred years later.

This Atashkadeh (Fire Temple) intitates meet there, but nobody apart from the Moubad (Grand Priest), a descendant of the Magi, reciting the Avesta, has access to the Moubad-e Moubadan (Saint of Saint) where for the past 3000 years a fire burns in a brazen vessel.The fire itself is a representation of what is good.

Being located beside the central mountains, far from the sea, adjacent to the kavir and in the shadow rainy region,Yazd has a climate which mostly resembles dry desertic climate.Little rain along with high water evaporation, relatively low dampness, heat, and great temperature changes are among the factors making this province, one of the driest parts of Iran.

By:Nooshin Moobed