Ab anbar

The construction material used for ab anbars were very tough and extensively used a special mortar called sarooj which was made of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash in specific proportions, depending on location and climate of the city.

[2] Cylindrical tanks also had the advantage of experiencing homogenous forces throughout the walls caused by earth pressures, as opposed to the rectangular designs.

Examples of ab anbars with a square plan include the Sardar-e Bozorg ab anbar in Qazvin by Sardar Hosein Qoli Khan Qajar and his brother Hasan Khan Qajar.

Some ab anbars required columns to be built inside the storage space.

The Zananeh Bazaar ab anbar of Qazvin uses 4 columns inside its storage tank.

Next to the faucet would be a built-in seat or platform, a drain for excess water, and ventilation shafts.

Possible contamination is minimised by lack of direct access to the entirety of the water stored.

To further minimise contamination, the storage tank's interior was scattered with a salty compound that would form a surface on top of the water.

To prevent fatal fall distances, and possibly provide a brief relief when traversing the steps, there would be one to three landings built midway into the stairway.

The person responsible for filling the ab anbars (both private and public) was called a meerab.

It contains platforms built-in for pedestrians and a resting area after ascending out of the stairway.

Ab anbars in Yazd, Kashan, Naeen, and other hot climate cities of Iran on the other hand extensively use windcatchers for cooling and ventilation purposes.