An ornately decorated Russian tea urn that supplies hot tea throughout the day. Samovars consist of a metal urn containing water, topped by a cradle that holds a teapot. Heat comes from an internal charcoal-burning pipe. Modern samovars are heated electrically.
A samovar (Russian: ÑамоваÌÑ€, IPA: literally "self-brewer") is a heated metal container traditionally used to brew tea in and around Russia, as well as in other Slavic nations, Iran and Turkey. It is said to have been invented in Central Asia, though the origin of samovar is still matter of dispute (for example, samovar appeared in Iran not later than in 18th century, being brought from Russia, not from any of nearer Central Asia countries, and it bears the same Russian name "samovar").