← Explore on the interactive map

Persian Wheel Irrigation

Type Object Region South Asia Time 600

The Persian wheel (also called saqiya or araghatta) is an animal- or human-driven chain-bucket device that lifts water from low sources to fields via…

Timeline

  1. 600–1206Northern India and Sindh · IndiaThe Persian wheel entered South Asia from West Asia via northwestern India, driven by oxen, camels, or human labor, using a continuous chain of buckets to lift water, gradually replacing some traditional swape irrigation methods.
  2. 1311–1320Agricultural regions of the Delhi Sultanate · IndiaBetween 1311 and 1320, Persian wheels were commonly used in the northern Indian countryside to lift water from wells, canals, and rivers for irrigation, providing the agricultural foundation for grain reserves and market control during the Khalji period.
  3. 1320Agricultural regions of South Asia · IndiaAfter 1320, Persian wheels continued to serve smallholder irrigation in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere, in some areas coexisting with electric pumps, becoming a representative of traditional hydraulic technology in South Asia.

Sources