Ancient Windmills, Nashtifan, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
Located in the small village of Nashtifan, on the arid and windswept plains of Khaf in north-eastern Iran, 30 miles from the Afghan border, some of the oldest windmills in the world are found. Their vertical axis design is like that of the windmills which were invented by the Persians around 500 —a design that slowly spread through the world and was later adapted by the Dutch and others. Along the southern edge of town, a towering 20-meter-tall earthen wall shelters residents from windstorms. The high wall contains two dozen mostly functional vertical axis windmills that date back to ancient Persian times. It’s estimated the structures, made of clay, straw, and wood, are around 1,000 years old, used for milling grain into flour. They were built side by side to increase their resistance against strong winds. The area is known for its uniquely powerful winds, and in fact the name Nashtifan is derived from words that translate to “storm’s sting,” a reference to the strong winds that blow through the area. During tempestuous winter months, the handcrafted wooden blades spin with an amazing speed and power grindstones in a marvel of engineering and passive ventilation. With periodic repairs to turbines, these well-built earthen structures could go on for centuries so long as a caretaker maintain them. The tall walls framing the windmills both support the turbines and funnel the airflow like the elliptical throat in a primitive wind tunnel. Unlike European Don Quixote-style windmills, the Persian design is powered by drag as opposed to lift. Since the blades are arrayed on a vertical axis, energy is translated down the mast to the grindstone without the need for any of the intermediary gears found on horizontal axis windmills. Though it’s recognized as a national heritage site, the ancient technology is tended to by only one person, Haj Ali Mohammad Etebari, an elderly overseer with no apprentices.
Size: 4928px × 3264px
Location: Nashtifan, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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