Dolat Abad is the garden that gave the world a record: its wind tower is about thirty-three metres tall, among the tallest in the world, a hexagonal brick shaft rising above the pavilion of the old governor's house. It was laid out in the 1740s for Mohammad Taqi Khan, a local ruler under the Afsharid kings, and later enlarged under Karim Khan Zand, the gentle ruler of southern Iran. The garden is another of the nine Persian Gardens listed by UNESCO, and it shows the classic design: long avenues of cypress, a central axis of water, and a pavilion at the end that looks down the whole length.
The beauty of the pavilion is in the details. Inside, the main hall has windows of coloured glass in lattice frames, which throw jewelled light across the floor, and walls decorated with delicate paintings and plasterwork. A hall at the back opens beneath the wind tower, and in summer the cooling effect is remarkable. A small pool of water at the base cools the air passing down the shaft, and the room stays pleasant while the garden outside bakes. You can feel the breeze on your face. It is an object lesson in how to build a house for a desert.
The garden's water comes from a qanat that runs below the site, feeding a long, shallow channel lined with fountains. The cypresses along the axis are very old, planted in tall, dark rows that frame the pavilion. Pomegranate, grape and mulberry trees fill the beds, and in spring the smell of blossom mixes with the warm scent of earth. It is a good place to sit in the shade and watch the light move across the leaves.
The garden lies close to the old city, so riding there is easy. Parking is possible near the gate, and the surrounding streets are wide and quiet compared with those of the bazaar. Visit early in the morning, when the air is cool and the light is soft, or late in the afternoon, when the tour groups have gone. Fuel and food are plentiful in Yazd, and the nearby teahouses are good for a rest. In summer, take water and a hat, and in winter bring a jacket.