⦁ ancient oasis city dating from 4th century BCE
⦁ population around 270,000 (2005 estimate)
⦁ beautiful examples of desert architecture
⦁ situated about 228km south of Tehran on the Kerman-Qom road
⦁ historic houses centered on Alavi Street
⦁ Kashan known for its carpet manufacture
The beauty of Kashan’s architecture is in how it relates to its surroundings. Mountains create a natural boundary on one side of the city, the desert flanks the other. The famous traditional architecture of the city is a direct result of thousands of years of adaptation to the dry desert summers.
Badgir (wind-catcher)
The most eye-catching feature of Iranian desert architecture is the badgir. These are square towers which rise a few metres above the roof of the house. Each face of the badgir opens into a separate chimney-like air shaft which leads right down to the lowest level of the house.