How did our ancestors face the summer heat?

2024-06-22 2024-06-22T16:54:01Z

Arabia Weather - Despite the extreme rise in temperatures, which is attributed to global climate change, conditions were not better in the past. Which raises questions about how grandparents would cope with rising temperatures without air conditioners or electric fans.

How did our ancestors face the summer heat?

"Al-Jali"... better light and less heat

"Jali" panels are considered one of the most important means of adjusting light and air conditioning. They have been used since the thirteenth century AD, and this Islamic art spread from Morocco to India. They are represented by huge panels that replace windows and help reduce the temperature through the pressure of the air passing through them. Its decorative holes.

The holes in the "jali" are designed in the manner of Venturi tubes, which is a physical technique that represents a tube that is wide at the ends and narrow in the middle, which contributes to cooling the air when it enters. The most prominent models of the "jali" are located in Delhi, where the Isa Khan Niazi Palace is located, which was built Between 1547 and 1548, it is a great example of the use of galli art in refrigeration.

Parking spaces, basements and insulating walls

In his book “Cooling in the Arab Scientific Heritage,” the Syrian researcher Saer Basmaji reviews the development of cooling techniques and methods, pointing out the role of ventilation and air conditioning by means of hangars. The sheikh of architects, Hassan Fathi, confirmed in his book “The Architecture of the Poor” that hangars are capable of lowering the temperature by about 10 degrees . This is why he used it in the design of schools in the village of Qurna in Luxor, Egypt, where water tables were an essential element in his architectural approach.

According to Warren Johnson in his book “Maintaining Cooling and Heating in Islamic Architecture,” the ancient air conditioning equation consisted of a malqaf, an underground tunnel, and a fountain. The malqaf captures the hot outside air and turns it into cool air inside a ground tunnel that contributes to cooling the dwelling. The malqaf plays the role of a large warehouse. For thermal mass, the stones of the tower cool at night, and when the air heats up during the day the next day, the tower remains cold. Since cold air is heavier than hot, it flows through the tower to refresh the rooms when it arrives through the underground tunnel.

There are many forms of shelters, including a hollow triangular shape with a base not exceeding a meter and a height of a meter, built above the roof of the house, opening from the east, and connected to an internal channel directed towards the basement of the house (a spacious basement with a cool atmosphere in the summer), which was common in Baghdad homes before. The spread of cement houses. This technology is complemented by walls insulated with good materials, the most important of which is clay, which keeps the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Wet mats

Despite the beauty of carpets and their high price, mats made of plant fibers are considered the best floor covering in the summer, and we are not talking about modern mats made of plastic, but rather mats made of reed and wicker fibres. These mats were not only used as insulation to reduce the heat of the earth, but the ancients used to wet them with water. To achieve evaporative cooling.

Self-cooling technologies

The ancients resorted to simple techniques to cool the body, such as cooling the pulse areas at the wrists and sides of the neck using cold water or a wet cloth, which helps to reduce the body temperature effectively. They also relied on certain types of fabrics to relieve heat, such as plant fibers such as linen, hemp, and burlap.

In her book, “Ancient Eastern Ways to Get Rid of Heat,” Nadia Al-Ghazi explains how the ancients used plant fibers such as flax, hemp, and burlap to relieve the summer heat. In 1760 BC, linen dyed yellow, red, and blue was used to make clothes for Queen Sheptu, wife of King Zimri. Lim, the king of the current Kingdom of Aleppo, and her six daughters. The ancients also resorted to adding some pieces to clothing, such as the turban, which Abu Al-Aswad Al-Du’ali described as

“A protection in war, shelter from the heat, a warming place from the rain, dignity in the dew, protection from events, and an increase in stature, and it is one of the customs of the Arabs.”