Yazd Qanat Watermills

Located on the fringes of desert, Yazd Province has long relied on underground channels or qanats as the main source of water for diverse purposes. To provide flour for the city, watermills were built on the qanat outlets. These watermills demonstrate significant ingenuity in hydraulics, mechanical engineering and subterranean architecture. This paper initially reviews existing literature on qanat watermills in Yazd Province.The architectural elements of watermills typology are then explained. To conclude, a sample watermill is analyzed in detail.