Iran seeks UNESCO recognition for historical wind towers

Tehran, April 10, IRNA - Iran has applied to the UNESCO to have its historical wind towers registered on the World Heritage List, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) announced recently. A file containing necessary information about the wind towers was sent to UNESCO last week, Mohammad-Hassan Talebian said in a press conference, the English- languge daily ˈTehran Timesˈ reported on Thursday. The wind tower (“badgir”, literally “wind catcher”) is the traditional structure used for passive air-conditioning in historical Iranian architecture. “This structure is an essential element of architecture in eleven Iranian cities including Tehran, Yazd, and Hormozgan,” Talebian said. Wind catchers are built in many regions of Iran, predominantly on houses in areas with a hot, arid climate.