Nashtifan windmills

The Nashtifan windmills are located in the homonymous village south of Khavaf (Khorasan Razavi region) and are considered historical artifacts and masterpieces of the Safavid era.

The structure of the mills has a particular architecture and does not resemble the other windmills that move with the wheel.

The building is made of the simplest materials such as: raw brick, mud and wood and includes two main floors: the building on the ground floor is the large main room which is the place where the large stone of the mill is located and there the fundamental work of grinding cereals is carried out.

This plan was built against the direction of the wind movement so that when it blows there are no problems for the continuation of the activity. It is used as a grain store; in the upper part there are the light wooden blades of the mill that move the large stone of the lower floor.

The name Nashtifān consists of two parts, "nash"With the meaning of" sting "and"tifan”With that of storm; the breath of seasonal winds of the Sistān area that lasts all year for a period of about 120 days, has created a particular situation for the invention of windmills in Iran dating back to before the advent of Islam , but the precedents of their construction refer to the era of the Safavid kingdom.

In the town of Nashtifān there are currently the remains of 40 windmills that have created a unique landscape. The most important in this area have been restored and rebuilt and are currently used for grinding.

In Nashtifān in the windy seasons the river currents south of the town were exploited for the use of water mills whose remains are still visible.