TEHRAN – A museum dedicated to the historical textiles of oasis towns is planned to be launched in the central province of Yazd, a local official has said. Yazd will soon be home to a museum that showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Iranian desert’s historical textiles, ILNA quoted Mohsen Qanuni as saying on Monday. A budget of one trillion rials ($2 million) has been allocated to the museum, the official added. The museum is located and will be set up in one of the region’s textile factories, he noted. In July 2017, the historical structure of the city of Yazd was named a UNESCO World Heritage.

Wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and the southern Dasht-e Lut on a flat plain, the oasis city enjoys a very harmonious public-religious architecture that dates from different eras.Yazd is usually referred to as a delightful place to stay, or a “don't miss” destination by almost all of its visitors.

The city is full of mudbrick houses that are equipped with innovative badgirs (wind catchers), atmospheric alleyways, and many Islamic and Iranian monuments that shape its eye-catching city landscape.  It is a living testimony to the intelligent use of limited available resources in the desert for survival.

Water is brought to the city by the qanat system.

Each district of the city is built on a qanat and has a communal center.The use of earth in buildings includes walls and roofs by the construction of vaults and domes.

Houses are built with courtyards below ground level, serving underground areas.

Wind catchers, courtyards, and thick earthen walls create a pleasant microclimate.Partially covered alleyways together with streets, public squares, and courtyards contribute to a pleasant urban quality.

The city escaped the modernization trends that destroyed many traditional earthen cities.It survives today with its traditional districts, the qanat system, traditional houses, bazaars, hammams, water cisterns, mosques, synagogues, Zoroastrian temples, and the historic garden of Dolat-Abad.

The city enjoys the peaceful coexistence of three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.ABU/AM