TEHRAN – The ancient Asbad of Niebandan, a traditional vertical axis windmill used for grain grinding, should be repaired, the city’s tourism director said.
According to Milas Aliya (CHTN), Hossain Shabani said Asbad, located in the village of Chahar Falsaf in Nehandan, South Khorasan province, will be restored.
He explained that a nationwide credit allocation worth 10 billion rials ($11,765) will result in the precious Nehandan artifact being renovated to prepare for the possibility of being placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Shabani hoped that research and renovations on these structures would be underway within a few years, and that more credit allocation would accelerate the renovation process.
He pointed out that Asbad is considered a masterpiece of Iranian architecture and lifestyle, particularly in the east of the country, for the use of wind power to crush grain.
Iran is moving towards ensuring UNESCO recognition in Asbad, a traditional vertical axis windmill used for grain grinding, to function to complete the documents for inclusion in the World Heritage List.
These ancient windmills, which have played an important role in the lives of people of eastern Iran, especially those of South Holasan, Holasan Razabi and Sistan Balsestan, have been documented as part of a continuous property registration effort.
South Khorasan, considered the birthplace and main hub of these inventive structures, lives in the country of South Khorasan, which is home to about 79% of Iran’s Asbad.
These windmills are some of the earliest known human-designed industrial equipment and are designed to take advantage of the powerful seasonal 120-day winds that clean the area.
While ASBAD was once a common sight in the wider regions of the larger Holasan, including today’s northeastern provinces, South Holasan boasts the greatest concentration, with over 310 windmills still standing, the report says.
Iranian Asbad is unique in its vertical design, and is a major deviation from the horizontal windmills found in Europe.
Typically, each structure consists of two parallel 10 meters walls, spaced approximately 4 meters apart. The large wooden blades are attached to a vertical axis within the northern part of the structure, and as the wind turns the blade, the movement is transmitted through the central shaft to crushed stone where grains like wheat are processed.
These ASBADs were particularly important in areas such as Nehbandan and Darmian. As of today, the towns of Dalmian and Nebandhan hold the most Asbad. However, there are quite a few Asbads in Birjand, Sarbisheh and Qaen.
Furthermore, Tabas e Masina, a historic city known for its Parthian origins and fertile plains, houses 60 Asbads alone.
Given the dispersion of Iran’s Asbad over vast geographical areas, ongoing documentation efforts aimed at ensuring global awareness of these incredible wind turbines has turned into a time-consuming project.
Iran’s Asbad is not only a testament to the ingenuity of the past, but also a symbol of the sustainable use of the local cultural heritage and natural resources. The UNESCO submission attempts to maintain these windmills for future generations, introducing their historical significance on the world stage.
Britannica says that early known references to the Persian Millite in 644 AD and the Iranian Saistan (Cistan) windmill in 915 were to the Persian Millite in 915.
According to a UN cultural group, technical historian Robert Forbes emphasizes that windmills in the Islamic era were an Iranian invention. He writes: “The invention, originally an exclusive device of Iran and Afghanistan, has transformed into a critical energy source throughout the Islamic territories of the 12th century, and was used not only for grain grinding and water pump operation, but also for sugar cans and other purposes.
Additionally, the UNESCO website states that such vertical axis windmills were transported to China during the Mongol rule period.
Furthermore, windmill know-how was brought to other Islamic territories and used in Egypt as the main source of chopping and crushing of Sugan Khan. In the 11th century, windmills arrived in Spain, the Aegean islands, and Portugal.
KD