Saqiyah facts for kids

A Saqiyah, also called a "Persian Wheel," around 1905.

A 'Punjab Wheel' in India, around 1917.

A sāqiyah (pronounced sah-kee-yah), also known as a Persian wheel, is an ancient machine designed to lift water. It uses buckets or pots attached to a large wheel or an endless belt. This clever device is traditionally powered by animals like oxen or donkeys. Unlike a noria, which uses the power of flowing water, a sāqiyah relies on animal strength.

Sāqiyahs are still used today in places like India, Egypt, parts of the Middle East, and even in Spain. They were mainly used to water fields for farming, a process called irrigation. Sometimes, they also supplied water for other needs, like royal bathhouses in ancient times.

What's in a Name?

The Meaning of Saqiyah

The word saqiya comes from Arabic and means "one that gives water" or "irrigator." It often refers to a water channel for irrigation. By extension, it also describes the machine that provides this water. In Spanish, a similar word, acequia, means an irrigation canal. The English name "Persian wheel" first appeared in the 1600s.

Saqiyah vs. Noria

It can be a bit confusing because different water-lifting machines have similar names!

• A sāqiyah is usually powered by animals. It lifts water from wells or rivers using buckets.
• A noria is different because it uses the natural power of moving water, like a river current, to turn its wheel. The noria's wheel has containers that scoop water up and then empty it into a channel. Famous norias can be seen in places like Hama in Syria.

Sometimes, people in different regions use these names interchangeably. For example, in Spain, the term noria can refer to both animal-powered and water-powered wheels.

How a Saqiyah Works

A sāqiyah is a large, often wooden, wheel. It's designed to scoop water from a source and lift it to a higher level.

Buckets on the Wheel

One common type of sāqiyah has clay pots or metal buckets fixed directly around the edge of the wheel. As the wheel turns, these containers dip into the water, fill up, and then lift the water. When they reach the top, they tip the water into a channel, which then carries it to the fields. Modern versions are often made of galvanized steel and have scoops. These wheels can be quite large, from two to five meters across.

Buckets on an Endless Belt

Another type of sāqiyah uses a series of buckets attached to a long, continuous chain, like a "pot garland." This design is very useful because it can reach much deeper into a well or river. The chain goes down into the water, and as the wheel turns, the buckets on the chain scoop up water and bring it to the surface.

Animal Power

Traditionally, draught animals like oxen, donkeys, or even camels provide the power. They walk in a circle, turning a horizontal wheel. This horizontal wheel is connected by a drive shaft and gears to the large vertical sāqiyah wheel, making it spin. While animals turn the wheel slowly (2-4 rotations per minute), modern sāqiyahs can also be connected to engines or electric motors, making them spin much faster. A sāqiyah can lift water from depths of 10 to 20 meters, which is much more efficient than simpler tools like the shadoof.

A diagram showing how a modern sāqiyah works.

A Long History of Lifting Water

The sāqiyah is a very old invention, with a history stretching back thousands of years.

Ancient Origins

The sāqiyah was known in the ancient Kingdom of Kush (in what is now Nubia) as early as the 3rd century BCE. It was called Kolē there. This invention greatly improved irrigation for farmers, as it could lift water much faster and from deeper sources than older methods that relied on human labor.

Evidence also suggests that similar water-lifting devices were used in India around the 3rd century BCE. They were called araghaṭṭa and could be powered by animals or even by flowing water. In Egypt, archaeological finds show that water wheels, including the sāqiyah, were in use by the 4th century BCE. A painting from Ptolemaic Egypt from the 2nd century BCE even shows oxen powering a fully developed sāqiyah system, looking very similar to those used today!

Roman Times

The Roman Empire also adopted and used these water-lifting machines. Writers like Philo of Byzantium and Vitruvius described them. Remains of bucket chains driven by tread wheels have been found in ancient baths in Pompeii, dating back to the 2nd century BCE.

The Golden Age of Islam

During the Islamic Golden Age, brilliant engineers made many improvements to the sāqiyah. Ismail al-Jazari, a famous inventor from the 13th century, created detailed designs for complex sāqiyahs. Some of his machines were powered by both animals and water. Another inventor, ibn Bassal, used a mechanical flywheel with the sāqiyah, which helped lift water from even greater depths, up to 200 meters! These advanced sāqiyahs were crucial for farming and providing water in cities across the medieval Islamic world, including Damascus.

Images for kids

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  A Nubian sāqiyah in the 19th century.

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  A "Persian wheel" near Amritsar, India, painted in 1864–65.

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  A water wheel used for irrigation in Nubia, painted in 1838.

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  Al-Jazari's advanced sāqiyah design from 1206, showing both animal and water power.

See also

• Man engine