Ab Anbar - Glossary of Terms For This Article

Glossary of Terms For This Article

• Ab-anbar آب انبار: Literal translation: Ab meaning water and Anbar meaning storage facility. A specially designed subterranean space that holds clean water, usually employing windcatchers and fed by karizes.
• Gushvār گوشوار: Something that occurs in symmetrical form on both sides of an element e.g. two little rooms on the sides of a hall, entrance, etc.
• Kariz كاريز: An underground water channel similar to a Qanat.
• Layeh-rubi: The periodic cleansing of Qanats, Karizes, and Ab anbars from sediments that gradually settle as water passes by.
• Maz-har مظهر: The first location where a Kariz or Qanat surfaces.
• Meerab ميرآب: A person who was responsible for distributing (providing access) water into ab anbars via underground channels such as Qanats.
• Nazr نذر: A type of prayer in which a person asks for a favor in return for making a promise to a sacred entity.
• Pasheer پاشير: The lowest point of an ab anbar stairway; the location where a faucet is installed to provide water from the ab anbar storage tank.
• Qanat قنات: A system of connected wells, usually originating from elevated locations that direct water to locations far away via underground channels to a lower elevated maz-har.
• Saqqa-khaneh سقاخانه: A place (usually an enclave in an alley) where candles are lit and prayers (or nazr) are made.
• Sar-dar سَردَر: A gate-like entrance to a building, ab anbar, etc. The over-door decorations of this entrance.
• Sarooj ساروج: A special mortar made of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ashes in specific proportions, and was very resistant to water penetration.