Iraqi craftsman revives ancient waterwheel tradition in Al-Anbar

Shafaq News

3 days ago

Shafaq News - Ramadi
In the western Iraqi town of Hit, craftsman Sirwan al-Kurdi is working to revive a centuries-old irrigation tradition once central to life across Al-Anbar: the wooden waterwheels known locally as na'oura.
Born near the eastern rotating waterwheels of Hit, al-Kurdi spent his early years in a home just steps away from the river. As a child, he accompanied his mother to fetch water and closely observed the waterwheels lifting water effortlessly, operating without human intervention unless repair was needed.
'The melancholic creaking of the na'oura stirred the soul,' he recounted. 'We called it the na'oura symphony. In summer, families slept on rooftops while mothers sang.
The wheel's rhythm would blend with their voices, and children would drift off peacefully. It felt like a lullaby for life itself.'
That enduring presence ended abruptly on May 12, 1967, when a devastating flood swept down the Euphrates, inundating farmland and submerging the wheels from the Syrian border to Hit.
'At six years old, I watched farmers break down in tears as their na'oura collapsed,' al-Kurdi reflected. 'They stood helpless as their lifeline was destroyed.'
While some structures were rebuilt, the traditional machines began vanishing by the mid-1970s following the introduction of electric pumps. Al-Kurdi, however, remained committed to their preservation. Over the years, he compiled knowledge from carpenters and veteran wheel-makers, determined to one day restore the heritage he had seen nearly disappear.
That ambition began to materialize in 2019 when authorities approved the rehabilitation of four na'oura in Turba village, part of Hit district. Al-Kurdi played a lead role in the project under the guidance of Malik Subti al-Husseini, one of the region's foremost traditional wheel-makers. A second phase of the project followed in 2021.
Alongside this fieldwork, al-Kurdi began crafting scaled models of traditional irrigation systems and ancient water-lifting devices. His first miniature—a gypsum-and-stone replica—was completed in 2010 and displayed at the Ahmad Aftan Martyrs Museum.
Additional works followed, including a Sumerian dalia, a water mill, an animal-powered gear system, and wind- and water-driven wheels. All are now housed in his private museum.
'I wanted to release these dormant ideas from my mind and give them physical form,' he explained. 'The museum turns history into something visible and tangible for future generations. It serves as the voice of these ancient tools and the living memory of Mesopotamia's engineering legacy.'
Despite his efforts, support has remained scarce. The initiative has relied entirely on personal funding, and according to al-Kurdi, the materials used in construction—mulberry wood, palm fronds, ropes made from natural fibers, and ceramic jugs (al-qawq)—have remained unchanged for centuries.
Even after UNESCO added the na'oura craft to its Heritage of Water list, recognition remained largely symbolic. 'The only acknowledgment we received was a printed letter of thanks worth no more than 250 Iraqi dinars (19 cents),' he remarked.
'Craftsmanship alone is not enough,' he emphasized, stressing that success also depends on careful planning, a supportive environment, and strong emotional and familial backing. Without these elements, the entire body of work becomes vulnerable to extinction after the artisan is gone.
He closed with a reflection from the 11th-century philosopher al-Ghazali, expressing the fragility of unshared craftsmanship in the absence of support and continuity, 'I spun them a fine thread, but found no weaver for my yarn—so I broke my spindle.'