Yazd Khan Bath
Yazd Khan Bath is one of the hundreds of old Iranian baths, which luckily has been spared from natural and historical events. This bath, which is one of Yazd’s famous attractions, was registered in the list of national heritage of Iran in July 1999. Today, this monument has been changed to Khan Bath Restaurant and serves tourists a variety of Iranian and traditional Yazdi dishes.
Yazd Khan Bath is one of the hundreds of old Iranian baths, which luckily has been spared from natural and historical events. This bath, which is one of Yazd’s famous attractions, was registered in the list of national heritage of Iran in July 1999. Today, this monument has been changed to Khan Bath restaurant and serves tourists a variety of Iranian and traditional Yazdi dishes.
Where is Yazd Khan Bath?
Yazd Khan Bath, one of the tourist attractions of Yazd province, is located next to Mulla Ismael Mosque, Qiam Street, Yazd.
Introducing Yazd Khan Bath
Khan Bath, known as Noor bathhouse (Garmabeh or Garmkhaneh), was built in 1797 in an area of 1,170 m2 and a base of 900 m2. This building, which is considered one of the most beautiful architectural works in the historical Yazd city, was renovated in 1809.
Khan Bath, like other old baths, was not only a bathing place in the past, but people used to visit it for purposes such as spending free time, talking and exchanging ideas, refreshment, worshiping, visiting friends, and solving life problems. The bath was registered in Iran’s national heritage list in July 1999 under number 2406.
The Builder of Yazd Khan Bath
Khan Bath was built by the order of Mohammad Taqi Khan Bafqi, the ruler of Yazd. Mohammad Taqi Khan was the head of a famous dynasty known as Khanin-e Yazd and he came to power in 1748.
Architecture of Yazd Khan Bath
Despite the city elders’ use of Khan Bath, this simple and beautiful building was built in such a way that the general public, including the low-income classes, could also benefit from it.
The building of this bath, like most historical baths, consists of an entrance, corridor, Sarbineh (cloakroom), Miandar (intermediate room), bathhouse, Gharineh, fire’s place, Gavro (cow path), supporting area, toilet, and stable. The corridor is a space that creates a way to enter and exit the Sarbineh. Sarbineh is more prominent in terms of area and decorations than other parts of the bath and has platforms for sitting, dressing and shoe racks. This place was used to get dressed and prepare to enter the bathhouse (place for washing and purifying the body). Sarbineh of Khan Bath has a beautiful skylight, built into the dome, and it provides light to the bathhouse during the day. The inner walls of Sarbineh were decorated with beautiful paintings in the past. Unfortunately, only a small part of them remains today. The space between Sarbineh and the bathhouse is called “Miandar”.
The bathhouse also looks like Sarbineh, having four columns in the middle, columns on the side and two dome-shaped roofs. After the bathhouse, there is a swimming pool, which is the main bathing place in a relatively large covered area. Alcove (Shahneshin) connects the bathhouse and the pool. On alcove’s walls, there are paintings from the stories of the Shahnameh, which belong to Qajar era and were added during the renovation of this building.
The Khazineh (ultimate bathhouse), which is full of hot water, connects the bathhouse and the Toon (fire’s place). At the end, there is Gavro (cow path); a narrow, long and sloping place that was used to move cattle and draw water from the well.
The bathhouse is designed to be located below the ground level, which facilitates access to clean water; plus, it cools the air in the bath. So that in very hot summers, its temperature reaches 20c.
