Some parts of the northern hemisphere are experiencing a particularly hot summer 2024. In cities, it is often not easy to escape the heat unless you have air conditioners, which have a high energy and environmental impact anyway. Those who can, try to escape the summer heat by visiting mountain or hillside locations with better air circulation, or by visiting seaside resorts with sea, lakes, rivers and swimming pools.

This heat reminded us of a visit we made to Iran at the end of summer 2018 together with our friends from Occitania and Castilla as part of the Silo’s Message on the Silk Roads meetings.

In that magnificent trip to Persia we visited unforgettable places.

The modern Tehran, with countless black and white mulberry trees, whose sweet fruits are so popular with its inhabitants.

The splendid Kashan, an oasis in the Qom desert, with gardens, fountains, canals and roses.

Isfahan, the ancient Persian capital and its central square, one of the most beautiful in the world, of which, after a day observing its architectural geometries, one remains inebriated.

Shiraz, the orchard of Persia, takes us to the artists’ garden, with long rows of pomegranate trees and the scent of rosemary.

Persepolis, enchantment of columns and open spaces. Through the white stairways, people from the four corners of Persia paid homage to Darius and admired their magnificent capital.

Finally, we arrived in the cradle of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest cities in the world, the pearl of a thousand and one nights: Yazd, the bride of the desert.

Located in the desert area at the heart of Persia, the oasis of Yazd has a dry climate with high temperatures.

Since ancient times, the inhabitants have devised natural ventilation systems called wind towers. This is a way of capturing air on the surface, allowing it to cool down in the cellars and bring it to the inhabited rooms at a comfortable temperature.

Wind towers perform the function of a natural air conditioner, with no impact on the environment.

Some friends after these adventures ask us if travelling in Iran is safe, how is the food, how is travelling inside the country, where is it better to stay, how are the locals.
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The Persians, at least the ones we have met, are heirs to a multi-millennial culture, amiable, elegant, sensitive and with a refined aesthetic. Obviously they are cultures with roots four thousand years old, they have their own character and a strong identity.

Sometimes we evaluate Iran on the surface, without ever having seen it, following the mainstream narrative that merely describes from the outside the political systems, the rate of democracy and respect for human rights, things that are certainly fundamental.

But we miss the great depth, the spirit of this people, creators of true psychosocial cyclones. This is the birthplace of Mazdeism, Manichaeism, Mithraism and other movements that changed history and influenced the foundations of cultures not only in the West.

 After visiting the abandoned ancient village of Karanaq, we returned to Yazd and climbed the hill to the top of the Towers of Silence, the sacred Zoroastrian burial places.

 There, suspended in moments of profound silence, we felt gratitude for these peoples who have given so much to humanity.

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Photos from the trip to Iran – September 2018
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10217336366383156&type=3
Yazd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd

Windcatcher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windcatcher

Yazd Tower of Silence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd_Tower_of_Silence