Great Icehouse, Merv
Seljuk-period builders · Mary Region, Turkmenistan
The Great Icehouse at Merv is a large domed earthen structure associated with the storage of ice and food in an extreme continental climate. Thick mud-brick walls and a strongly insulated domed enclosure use mass rather than mechanical systems to moderate internal temperatures, making the building an important example of environmental infrastructure embedded within the medieval city. The structure is generally dated to the twelfth century but not to a precise year, so the database deliberately leaves completion blank. Its survival broadens the architectural picture of Merv beyond palaces and mausoleums to include everyday climatic technology.