Yazd City Water Museum

A must-see for all curious to know the magic of creating desert paradises!

Yazd Water Museum is located in center of the city in old town just in front of Amir Chaqmaq Complex. It is in fact an old House of Qajarid era that belonged to a famous wealthy merchant called “Haj Ali Akbar Kolahduz”. This residence mansion has been turned into a museum in 2000 which shows how and why Yazd is well-known for its underground aqueducts or in Persian, “qanats”. Yazd water museum is one of the best ones in the world of its own kind and the interesting point is that there is a visible still-running qanat underneath it.

What will you See?

You will see a series of photographs, drawings and old tools and crafts, all letting you know the role of water in flourishing life in Yazd during the past 4000 years. Moreover, the architecture of the city and the unique culture of the people, which all together, resulted in turning the historic city a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Yazd Water Museum, seemingly, portrays another architectural and engineering marvel of the ancient world like Nashtifan Windmills, and while visiting, you witness how a qanat builder looked like, what he was wearing, which tools he would use, and how many meters he would go underground to accomplish his mission. Furthermore, how they built and connected qanats to the houses of the city and how they spotted locations for drinking and fielding water. Above all, you can feel how and why Iranians respected water throughout centuries. There are also some old papers, say water ownership documents, showing how people especially wealthy householders or farmers would purchase water and how they would mark out their shares of purchased water.

Yazd Water Museum has different floors or levels, all open to public, in which, every one of them had its own characteristics. The levels are connected together and are reachable through a stairway called “Payab”. One level was for keeping food and fruits and all similar stuff fresh. One level was used as a living room for the family because of its cool and pleasant temperature and one level for saving water for future use.

The Story of Yazd’s “Qanat”s

Some believe that Romans were the first to build aqueducts, however, Iranians were the first to make a complicated system for managing underground water by digging qanats, which are still in function today, like the one in tis museum. The oldest qanat is believed to be built by Cyrus the Great 6 centuries BC.

It is not required to have any engineering or water management knowledge to understand what was going on. It will take you less than half an hour to visit Yazd Water Museum and then your understanding will be enriched about the role of water in people’s life especially in deserts and appreciate the extraordinary work done there. So the Water Museum of Yazd is a don’t-miss attraction and if a well-educated tour guide of Marcopolo would accompany you, s/he will explain everything in the museum especially how the brave men of the village dig out these water tunnels.

So, while in Yazd, do not miss out Water Museum from 8 until 19 (closed from 14:30 to 15:30). You can also visit Alexander Prison, Towers of Silence, Dowlatabad Garden and so many other attractions. Just Contact Marcopolo Iran Tours via incoming@iranmarcopolo.com for more information on tours including Yazd Water Museum or other attractions in Yazd.