Could a yakhchal be built and used to store perishable foods?

Yakhchals were used by the Persians to store ice in the desert...circa 400 BC! Could they be built and used today in the event of an extended power outage?

Yakhchāl (Persian: یخچال ice pit; yakh meaning ice and chāl meaning pit) is an ancient type of refrigerator. The word also means glacier in Persian. In 400 BC, Persian engineers had already mastered the technique of storing ice in the middle of summer in the desert.[1] Above ground, the structure had a domed shape, but had a subterranean storage space; it was often used to store ice, but sometimes was used to store food as well. The subterranean space coupled with the thick heat-resistant construction material insulated the storage space year round. These structures were mainly built and used in Persia (Iran). Many remain standing that were built hundreds of years ago.
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reply to post by RedParrotHead


theres nothing special about them as we brits built them in victorian times to keep ice in which was chipped from lakes during winter to provide iced drinks in the summer for the toffs, the main thing is you need it to be deep enough not to be affected by the weather above and enough ice to get started so they normally end up quite big due to the initial startup of ice required

The only downside is that you'd be advertising where your food was, unless you could make a mini version. Do they have to be so big? If you lived off the grid one of these could be very useful.

If anyone has the land, resources & time and wants to build one - there are some rough drawings here.