TEHRAN – The historical region of Khaf, which is home to numerous ancient windmills, is set to protect that cultural heritage for future generations.

Out of the total of 200 Asbads (vertical windmills) identified in the urban and rural areas of Khaf, 130 are now in place, and 70 have been destroyed over time, IRNA quoted Khaf’s tourism chief, Mahmoud Ba’aqideh, as saying on Monday.

“About 130 Asbads still retain their original nature, some of which are still active in wheat grinding and flour production.”

In recent years, the restoration of Asbads has been on the agenda for Khaf’s cultural heritage and tourism directorate, the official said.

Made of clay, wood, and straw, the windmills, locally known as Asbads, bear testimony to the human being’s adaption to nature by transforming environmental obstacles into opportunities.

Asbad development took place due to strong and continuous 120-day winds, which annually sweep through the east and southeast of the Iranian Plateau from late May to late September.

Some five years ago, a collection of Iranian windmills was just added to UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritage properties. Experts say the lack of an agreed budget for proper maintenance as well as unfinished efforts to determine their (legal) properties are among the reasons for the suspension.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts has almost completed the necessary preparations for a possible UNESCO status. However, some documentation and mapping works have not been completed yet.

Evidence suggests that some Eastern and Western states acquired the technology of making mills from Persia in the early second millennium, though the prototype design constantly underwent amendments over time.

According to the UN cultural body, such vertical-axis windmills were taken to China during the Mongol reign.

Furthermore, the know-how of windmills was taken to other Islamic territories and was used in Egypt as the main source for the chopping and grinding of sugarcanes. In the 11th century, windmills reached Spain, the Islands of the Aegean Sea, and Portugal.

As mentioned by Britannica, one of the earliest known references to windmills dates from 644 CE relating to the southeast region of Iran.

Technically speaking, unlike European windmills, the Iranian design is powered by blades arrayed on a vertical axis in which the wind power is directly translated down without the need for any gears found on the horizontal-axis mills.

AFM