A yakhchāl (Persian: یخچال 'ice pit'; yakh meaning 'ice' and chāl meaning 'pit') is an ancient type of ice house, which also made ice. They are primarily found in the Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e-Kavir deserts, whose climates range from cold (BWk) to hot (BWh) desert regions.

Ice houses were also known as ice wells, ice pits or ice mounds. Game larders and venison larders were sometimes marked on Ordnance Survey maps as ice houses.

Oct 1, 2021 · The yakhchal (meaning ice pit) was a type of ancient refrigerator built in the deserts of Persia (now Iran), which was made without electricity, modern coolants, or most elements of modern refrigerators.

An ice house (also known as ice well, ice pits or ice mounds) is a building for storing ice throughout the year. They date before the invention of the electricity and the modern refrigerator. Ice house is usually located partly or completely underground and often built near the natural sources of ice in winter like rivers and freshwater lakes.

Jul 9, 2018 · Today, creating ice is as easy as placing water in your freezer, but how would you accomplish the same phase-altering feat without an energy-guzzling appliance? What may seem unfathomable at first thought was regularly accomplished more than 2,000 years ago, and in the desert of all places!

Aug 31, 2020 · The yakhchal (meaning ice pit) was a type of ancient refrigerator built in the deserts of Persia (now Iran), which was made without electricity, modern coolants, or most elements of modern refrigerators.

Dec 28, 2018 · An Ice House - also known as ice wells, ice pits or ice mounds - is a building for storing ice throughout the year. They date before the invention of the electricity and the modern...

Oct 11, 2023 · The traditional method of storing ice in underground pits, known as ice houses or yakhchal, was widely used in ancient Persia. However, this method involved collecting and storing naturally formed ice or snow during the winter months to preserve it for use in warmer seasons.

Sep 4, 2009 · The ice was brought in during the winters from nearby mountains in bulk amounts, and stored in a Yakhchal, or ice-pit. These ancient refrigerators were used primarily to store ice for use in the summer, as well as for food storage, in the hot, dry desert climate of Iran.

Dec 20, 2017 · With excessive heat and arid climate, the region had occupants, the ancient Persians, who needed some way to cool off and store food during the summer months, and that’s when yakhchāls were found of great help. The word stands for “ice pit.”