Ice in the Desert: How Ancient People Created It

This summer has been turning up the heat like never before we feel like roasted marshmallows on a Sizzling Grill yes the world is getting hotter but some regions have always fought with high temperatures it turns out people had some inventions to keep themselves cool in ancient times too some of them are still functioning even 3,000 years later let's take a look at how people saved themselves from heat throughout history.

So do you know that the Persians made an ice storage system in the deserts of ancient Persia people had an out-of-the-box idea about how to prevent their food from turning into a melted mess these ingenious Persians stumbled upon a physics trick that allowed them to create ice in the middle of the desert they called these cool structures Yakel which basically means ice pits P these ice pits were not your ordinary coolers they were like secret underground fridges they looked like dome-shaped mud brick structures on the outside but inside it was a whole different world these ice pits had an evaporation cooler system that worked like magic at night when the desert cooled down Persians made use of the radiative cooling effect they set up cleverly designed trenches to hold thin layers of water the water froze defying the desert heat then there were underground Square storage areas the Persians collected the melting ice water from these cool trenches and during the night they froze it again making the most of the desert's natural chill to add to the cooling effect they built a wall to shade the storage areas from the hot midday sun and that's not all they had this fantastic wind catching Contraption called a Badger that caught the breeze and directed it right into the ice pits fresh air plus ice Cool Breeze a winning combo they even had intricate water channels called Canat to bring water to the ice pits and homes all the way from the nearby mountains As Time passed these Yak Chels faded into history and modern technology took over but hey there's good news too some awesome folks in Iran are restoring these ancient coolers so if you ever find yourself in the desert don't forget to pay a visit to these marvelous places and witness The Genius of the ancient Persians firsthand.

Now I want to focus more on the Wind catchers because they don't just help make ice cubes they actually function as a cooling system as well back in the day those clever architectural wonders were all the rage in places like Persia modern day Iran Egypt and the Middle East imagine tower-like structures with openings at various levels strategically placed to harness the power of Nature's Breeze these openings were like magical portals for the wind they captured those refreshing gusts and guided them right into people's Living Spaces basically they were natural air conditioners the breeze would gracefully flow downward Cooling the ground as it danced through the building the secret sauce lies in the details the tower's height the number of sides the openings and the positioning of the Interior blades everything plays its role in how efficiently the wind towers work out thanks to these wind catchers ancient societies could enjoy comfy indoor temperatures without sweating can you imagine living in those times feeling the gentle breeze whisking through your home keeping you feeling fresh and chilled out the Persians are often credited for inventing these awesome wind catchers.

Today designers are getting creative mixing traditional wisdom with modern tech at the Albajar towers in Abu Dhabi they've got it too picture over 2,000 hexagonal panels that dance with the sun's movement providing shade to the building's interior water evaporation was another secret weapon for ancient people simple yet super effective plus ancient Egyptians hung wet mats and curtains in doorways when the air passed through them it cooled down providing a relief from the scorching Sun ancient Architects were the masters of maximizing air flow they knew how to cross ventilate and let hot air Escape while inviting cooler air to the party speaking of ancient Rome bathouses were the place to be back then it was like a community Hub people gathered to chat about politics play sports and of course take a relaxing dip the frigidarium was the cool spot in Roman baths after a steamy soak in the caldarium Romans dashed to this giant pool to chill out then in some places like capid doia in Turkey people went under ground to hide from the heat they carved cozy dwellings in volcanic rock harnessing the Earth's natural cooling Powers so the lesson here is simple Architects and designers can create Wonders by combining local Traditions with smart Tech California's death valley boasts the highest officially registered temperature to date with 134? f in 1913 meanwhile Africa's sweltering record stands at 31? F in KB Tunisia as noted in 1931 in Europe the highest temperature ever documented reached almost 120? F in Sicily in August 2021 then in 2022 the UK had the hottest summer of all time.