Yazd Water Museum

The Yazd Water Museum, located in the historic city of Yazd in Yazd Province, is one of the most important cultural and educational centers on the history and technologies of water management in Iran's desert regions. The museum is housed in the beautiful historic building of an old house (the Kolahduzha House), which has been restored in the traditional Yazd architectural style. As one of the oldest desert cities in the world, Yazd has long faced a shortage of water resources, and this museum stands as a symbol of the efforts and indigenous knowledge of its people in supplying and conserving water under harsh climatic conditions. The building has five floors, and a centuries-old qanat (kariz) channel runs through this historic house, which makes it a particularly distinctive structure. On the roof of the house there is a well from which water was drawn with a well wheel to fill the house's water reservoir (ab-anbar) on the ground floor.

The Yazd Water Museum offers visitors a collection of tools, documents and display models that show how water was used and managed throughout history. Among its important sections are those introducing Yazd's qanats, water reservoirs and windcatchers, all of which reflect the ingenuity of the local people and their adaptation to desert conditions. By viewing these collections, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges of securing water in arid regions and the solutions devised for them. The museum holds equipment used for digging qanats, tools for measuring the volume of water, very old documents of water sales and endowment deeds (waqf-nameh), the booklets of the mirabs (water masters) and water distribution records, vessels for storing and carrying water, and many other valuable items and objects.

To reach the Yazd Water Museum, visitors can easily get there from the center of Yazd with a short walk or by public transport. The best times to visit are spring and autumn, when Yazd's weather is mild and well suited to sightseeing. Visiting the museum offers a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of indigenous culture and knowledge in managing natural resources, while also encouraging visitors to practice responsible nature tourism in a historic and cultural setting.