Windcatcher

A windcatcher (Persian: بادگیر‎ bâdgir: bâd "wind" + gir "catcher", Arabic: ملقف ‎malqaf in Egypt or بارجيل barjeel in Eastern Arabia) is a traditional Persian architectural element to create natural ventilation in buildings. Windcatchers come in various designs: uni-directional, bi-directional, and multi-directional. Windcatchers remain present in many countries and can be found in traditional Persian-influenced architecture throughout the Middle East, including in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf states.