The historical city of Abarkooh.

Abarkooh is a historical desert city located in Yazd province and it attracts many tourists every year because of the numerous historical and cultural heritages located in this city. Abarkooh has been located on the way of the Silk Road which had been the main route between east and west from China to the Mediterranean Sea. Another branch of the Silk Road which connected south to Khorasan passed through Abarkooh, too. The soldiers and the commanders stopped in this city for some days during their wars and campaigns and Shah Abbas the Safavid king constructed many caravanserais in this area. So the importance and the prosperity of Abarkooh has been due to the passing of the Silk Road through this city.

The Cypress tree of Abarkooh

Abarkooh’s long-standing cypress tree, which is estimated to be more than 4000 years old, is the oldest cypress in the world and it is known to be planted by Zoroaster in mythical stories. That is why this Cypress tree is so respectable for the Zoroastrians of Iran. This tree is about 25-28 meters high and the perimeter of its trunk is 11.5 meters!

Jaame mosque of Abarkooh

This adobe monument dates back to Teimurid Empire and it is a fabulous sample of Iranian mosques. All of the elements of a Persian mosque are available in this monument and it is decorated with artistic tile works, stucco ornaments, arabesque margins and inscriptions showing religious verses.

Adobe icehouse (Yakhchal)

The icehouses are one of the most interesting buildings of dry and warm cities in Iran. In the past, the workers used to pile the ice in these buildings during winter and the ice would remain cold until the summer because of the special form of the Icehouses. Abarkooh’s icehouse is related to Qajarid dynasty and it is built with limestones, adobe and sand.

Aghazadeh Mansion

Aghazadeh mansion has been built by Seyed Hussein Abarghouyi, who has been a wealthy man in Abarkooh, during Qajarid dynasty. The vaults, the windcatchers, the chambers ornamented with arc formed niches and the windows with stained glasses are extremely beautiful in this house. The two-story windcatcher of Aghazadeh mansion is known as the highest windcatcher in the world, which is 18 meters high with 19 air-adjusting vents.

Stroll in the old district of Abarkooh and listen to the historical stories of this city told by the old houses, mosques and qanats. Visiting Yazd province is included in many of Uppersia tours, like Iran tour in style, Iran on SilkRoad and Persian caravanserais tour.

Aghzadeh Mansion's windcatcher in Abarkooh.