I traveled from Isfahan to Yazd by bus through the desert. Endless expanse with no trees or shrubs, only dry grass and huge trucks transporting goods to the north. Nowadays, the modern camels have wheels and run on diesel...
Yazd is a desert city, literally located between two deserts. In essence, it is an oasis because there is water and therefore life here. However, just a few kilometers outside the city, the desert begins. It is mainly a rocky desert, endless plains, but also mountains without a single tree or shrub. Very impressive.The houses are built according to the conditions; formerly made of mud bricks with mud plaster, nowadays made of fired bricks but still plastered with this ancient mixture of mud and straw. Especially the old town is still very authentic in these earthy tones. Yazd is also known as the city of windcatchers. Windcatchers are present on practically all houses. It is an ancient, ingenious system to capture the wind, cool it down, and thus keep the house cool.This is what these windcatchers look like:Practically every house has a rooftop access where you can enjoy the evening breeze.I was fortunate to meet two very nice Swiss people and have dinner with them on the rooftop of a small restaurant. The atmosphere on these rooftops is indescribable. Funny how you can see your neighbor right in the courtyard. Yazd is an ancient trading city and you can feel it. Crafts are very present. While strolling through the bazaar, I could watch the craftsmen at work; the blacksmiths, tailors, copper engravers, silversmiths, carpet weavers. The closer you get to the center, the more it becomes just sales shops, the craftsmen are more on the periphery. The craftsmanship has adapted to the spirit of the times.
