It is difficult to imagine, but such a useful invention of mankind as an air conditioner is more than 2 thousand years old! Even the ancient Persians and Egyptians, living in the hottest regions of our planet, were able to provide their homes with a blessed coolness when the outside temperature rose above 50 degrees. Thanks to some specimens that have survived to this day, modern scientists have found the secret of their action, and many who were able to appreciate its coolness claim that badgirs and malcafs are much more effective than the most powerful split systems of our time.
Badgirs and malcafs are the oldest air conditioners that save you from the heat better than the most powerful split systems.
On the eve of a sultry summer, many begin to frantically think how to protect their home from the unbearable heat that will inevitably come in the near future. Naturally, the modern market offers a huge selection of air conditioners, but as it turned out in ancient times, the inhabitants of the desert and arid regions of the Middle East were able to provide their homes with cool air and ice water by constructing special wind collectors. For more than 2 thousand years, these unique systems have aroused the genuine interest of descendants, surprising with the genius of calculations and construction technology.
Badgirs look like massive towers resembling giant chimneys.
Unique designs, which in Persia (the territory of Iran) are called badgirs, and in Egypt - malcafs (which means "wind catcher") have already been sufficiently studied and modern engineers consider their capabilities more effective, one might even say more perfect than the coolest systems air conditioning in the XXI century. And this is not without reason, because in fact it is a perpetual motion machine, which does not need any power sources and will not need to be repaired even after several millennia, if only the structure itself survived.
The largest number of unique structures have been preserved in Yazda - the most ancient Zoroastrian city of modern Iran.
Experts tried to understand all the intricacies of such structures and decided to share the information received with their readers. As it turned out, creating a much-needed cooling system required absolutely precise geometric, mechanical and architectural calculations by the scientists and architects of those times.
The principle of operation of badgir - the prototype of modern air conditioners.
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Only after that, the builders began to work, who, in the center of any room, be it a huge palace or a tiny house, erected high towers, inside which vertical air channels were created strictly according to the calculated parameters. Moreover, such meticulous calculations and planning were carried out for each specific building, because the location and height of the house played a major role, because these tunnels should provide unhindered and correct movement of air flows, causing a "fireplace effect".
The dimensions and the correct arrangement of the structure allow active air circulation and cooling of the building walls.
Only its effect is slightly different from the smoke extraction. Thanks to the holes located at the very top of the structure, any breath of wind is caught and drawn in due to the pressure difference, pushing out the stale air, making room for fresh and cooler air.
The historic Cistern (reservoir) is cooled down to 0 ° C using badgirs.
Considering that badgirs or malcafs were huge in size, their action was not limited to the usual functions of the hood, they made it possible to cool not only the air and walls, but also underground water reservoirs with their numerous channels to almost 0 ° C.
Until now, badgirs continue to be used as natural and highly effective conditioners.
In the premises, the temperature dropped by 10-12 degrees compared to the outside, and this is quite a lot in the climatic conditions of the Middle East.
The unique centuries-old badgir in the Dowlat Abad garden reaches 33 meters in height.
For many centuries, these structures have served not only as ventilation shafts with constant air circulation, but are also a real architectural heritage of this territory. Moreover, the shape, height and their uniqueness have become a kind of visiting card of the whole country, because each “air catcher” has its own unique outlines and that the most interesting thing is not for the sake of beauty - there were good reasons for this.
High multilateral badgirs were built in places with more favorable natural conditions.
Typically, badgirs are one-sided, four-sided, or eight-sided. If, for example, in Yazd, located between two mountain ranges, desert winds disturb less than in other other areas, architects could design tall four-sided or eight-sided structures without problems.
In one-sided badgirs, the holes were located only on the side where the cool wind was blowing.
If this is a desert area, such as in the city of Meybad, then badgirs were erected low and one-sided, oriented to the side, from where cool and more pleasant air masses with the least amount of hot sand could come.
"Wind catchers" have their own original shape and design.
The most interesting thing is that this kind of structure, whatever its shape, has its original outlines and it is almost impossible to find the same. Not only were they designed by different architects, and each had its own particular style, which is its hallmark, but the location of the house dictated certain conditions.
The configuration of the building depended on the location and area of the house.
For example, the lower the house is in a densely populated area, the higher it was necessary to raise the tower to ensure the flow of air, and the north side, directed towards the Isfahan wind, must necessarily be 40 cm higher than all the others.
Such air conditioning systems could provide coolness to both a huge estate and a crumbling house.
In the UAE, badgirs still cool water and huge rooms, given that modern air conditioners cannot cope with this.
That is why the original towers that have survived to this day are still considered true masterpieces of architecture and a monument to the genius of engineering thought of mankind, for the sake of which tourists from all over the world come to admire and see with their own eyes that such a miracle is possible.
For thousands of years, ingenious human creations have served for the benefit of people and more and more surprise with their incredible technical characteristics and unique architecture.
