Persian Wheel (Saqiyah)

History of the Persian Wheel (saqiyah)

The Persian wheel, also known as a Saqiyah or sakia is an water-lifting device is around

The ancient history (300 century BCE). It is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in regions of ancient Persia (modern-day Iran), and later spread to India, Egypt, and other parts of Asia and North Africa.This ingenious device was primarily used to lift water from wells or underground sources for irrigation, especially in dry and arid regions.

The mechanism consists of a large vertical wheel fitted with containers (often clay pots or wooden buckets) along its rim. As the gear turns wheel rotate, the containers scoop up water from a well and pour it into a trough at the top, allowing it to flow into fields or storage tanks.

Traditionally, the wheel was turned by animal power usually by oxen, buffaloes, or camels. that walked in circles and drove the wheel through a system of gears and shafts. Over time, it came a symbol of sustainable and continuous irrigation and was a key part of agricultural development for centuries.

The Persian wheel is a brilliant of ancient mechanical design. It was engineered to operate at low speed with moderate torque, making it ideal for continuous use over long periods without exhausting the animals powering it.Since animals like oxen or buffaloes would walk in a circular path to rotate the wheel, the mechanism was intentionally kept slow and steady.

The gearing system helped increase the torque required to lift water from deep wells, while minimizing the effort needed to turn the wheel. This thoughtful balance ensured that the animals could work for hours without fatigue, making it a sustainable and animal-friendly irrigation method.

||For more historical background, you can check the Wikipedia article on the Persian wheel."

So let's we recreated a functional model of the Persian wheel.

Materials

I used easily available materials to match the original design compactly and functionally. Here some what I used.

1. Cellular weightless brick x1
2. Transparent plastic discs 8cm, 4cm x1
3. Waste compact disc x2
4. Toothpicks. x1 pack
5. Wooden stick x1
6. Bottle caps x30
7. Servo motor x1
8. Lithium cell x1
9. Round switch x1
10. Small aluminium extruded x1
11. used pen x2

Tools

1. Pencil
2. Compass
3. Scale
4. Quick glue
5. glue stick (plastic type )
6. Cutting pliers
7. Screwdriver
8. mini drill tool kit
9. tweezer

Software

1. Autodesk Fusion 360

Using a compass draw a smaller circle below (8cm for big gear) (4cm for small gear) to near the edge of each disc. This is where the toothpicks will be placed. Make sure it's equivalent distances from the center all around. For measurements refer IMG(1.1 & 1.2)

Use a protractor to divide the disc into equal angles (24 teeth for bigger gear, so 15° for each tooth) and (12 teeth for smaller gear, so 30°for each tooth). Mark each point clearly along the circle you drew. The more evenly spaced, the smoother the gear will run. By this method, we cannot achieve more precision, so I printed a Xerox paper sketch of the gears from the design below the PDF we made and then attached it to the disc. IMG(1.3)

Carefully make tiny holes at each mark using compass and drill the holes by mini drill These will hold the toothpicks securely.

Insert one into each hole and drop a glue to hold it in place. Cut the toothpicks to equal lengths around 1.2-1.5cm.

I sculpted a cellular lightweight brick into a custom base to hold the gear system firmly in place, similar to a basement structure used in traditional irrigation systems.

placing the large plastic disc gear on top of the brick and marked its circular outline by compass 10CM diagram. This helped determine the perfect place to sit the gear. IMG(2.3)

Using a screwdriver and a cutting plier, I carefully sculpted the marked area to a depth of around 3.5 cm IMG(2.10). The brick material is soft and easy to work with, which made shaping easier and more accurate. GIF(2.12)

After sculpting, The iron rods are inserted into both gears, then a big gear is placed into the cavity to ensure it fits securely and can rotate freely. For minimal wobble, an electric socket pin is used as a pivot for Gear. IMG(3.5)

a rectangular wooden stick is to support the gear . A hole is made at the center and it is placed on the base and glued it. IMG(3.8)

Once the large gear was set, I placed the smaller gear next to it, aligned to properly mesh with the large gear’s toothpicks. The pen refills inserted a small gear shaft and glued it to the base. IMG(3.13)

To match the traditional rotating mechanism of the Persian water-lifting wheel, I created a strong and lightweight wheel using two compact disc (CD) [their surface is sanded] and toothpicks as spacers and bucket holders.

The Xerox paper was neatly glued onto the transparent CD, centered perfectly so the lines extended outwards from the disc’s center. IMG(4.5)

I measured 5.5 cm from the center along each guideline and marked the positions where the toothpicks would be inserted. At each mark, I carefully drilled small holes using a mini drill.

Take any one CD, draw a circle 4.5CM, and cut it. IMG(4.9)

The toothpicks are inserted in the holes as IMG(4.13). Cut the toothpicks they must be longer than the diameter of the bucket ( bottle cap). This toothpick's cut end is inserted into another disc and the both discs are spaced 3.5CM IMG(4.16). Then glue the toothpicks and cut the extra lengths. Your Persian wheel is ready to assemble on the gear shaft.

Here a hollow plastic is used as a coupler for the wheel to axle shaft. I inserted it slowly when a soldering iron heats the shaft. IMG(5.2) by this method, the coupler won't slip.

the Wheel screw is tightened into the coupler by the screwdriver. make sure that the wheel rotates freely without touching base. IMG(5.4)

Here we use a bottle cap and metal sheet as buckets and side holders respectively.

take the metal pieces First, We drew on metal sheet as fit to the wheel and Cut metal sheet pieces. You can refer to the IMG(6.1) for the measurements

The holes are made with a mini drill. The purpose of the holes is:

Front Holes: Two holes in the metal pieces at the front side. These are sized to tightly fit the iron rod which connects to the wheel.

Back Holes: I made another set of holes on the backside. these are slightly larger to allow free movement. They will be connected to a link, enabling the bucket to tilt freely during operation.

take a glue stick trimmed into pieces and place it on the metal sheet heat it with a soldering iron then attach to both sides of each bottle cap again heat it. This method helps the metal fit into the cap's sides creating a durable hold.

After making the buckets link the all in sequence with a small iron rod and glue it. In this instructable, I made 30 buckets. IMG(6.16) This bucket system works like a scoop

To simulate the water-lifting function of a Persian wheel, I made a small water collector from an aluminum profile. This collector helps gather and direct water lifted by the buckets.

I first checked the scooped from the buckets where the area it was pouring so that a much-lengthened water collector is made. GIF(7.1)

I used a piece of aluminum extruder channel as the main body of the water collector. Both ends of the channel were sealed using metal sheet piece which were carefully cut to fit and then glued in place. Ensure the seal is watertight

for drain the water A hole was drilled on one side of the water collector to act as a drain.

I inserted a plastic pen barrel into this hole, which acts as the outlet pipe for the collected water. adjusting the angle to ensure water flows in the correct direction. IMG(7.5)

The collector is mounted in such a way that it does not touch the rotating wheel. IMG(7.7)

Ensure enough clearance so that the wheel can spin freely without interference.

how traditional Persian wheels direct lifted water into canals or storage containers, like that I have made

I first grinded the shaft into a rectangular so it would not slip and the Persian wheel to rotate from above. IMG(8.1)

Here a Y-shaped stick makes it same as the traditional one. IMG(8.3)

I took a wooden stick and drilled a hole through it 2cm before at one end. This hole allowed me to insert the stick directly onto the shaft of the large gear that drives the Persian wheel. Now, rotating the stick would transfer motion to the gear, and in turn, to the entire wheel structure.

After that, I made lines on the brick to look like a basement, but it is not synced totally. IMG(8.7)

Since I didn’t have a small cattle or animal figure to rotate the Persian wheel traditionally, I created a simple motorized solution using a modified servo motor.

I started by removing the feedback controller from a standard servo motor, converting it into a continuous rotation motor and it directly runs with a battery. IMG(9.1)

i attached a small wheel to the servo shaft but the servo body is bigger than the wheel so wheel wrapped a rubber piece from a bicycle tube.

This rubber wheel improves friction and allows smooth rotation against a surface. Instead of rotating the wooden stick directly, I placed the motor so the rubber wheel rotates on the base, friction causes the entire stick (and the attached Persian wheel) to rotate.

CONNECTION

1. I connected a battery and switch in series with the servo motor to power the system. IMG(10)
2. Turning the switch ON makes the servo motor rotate, driving the wheel. GIF(9.14)

Observation

1. Sometimes the wheel didn't maintain solid contact with the base, leading to inconsistent motion.
2. To solve this, I added a weight (transformer) on top of the servo motor to keep it pressed firmly against the base, ensuring constant contact and smooth operation. IMG(9.12)

This is a fun and simple way to animate your Persian wheel model without using gears or external cranks. It also gives a satisfying visual effect same as real-world motion using basic materials

After completing the build, I took the Persian wheel to our field and set it up on the edge of the fish pond. I carefully adjusted the height so that the bucket chain could dip just enough into the water to lift it effectively.

The mini Persian wheel model worked successfully in the test. The modified servo motor with the rubber wheel provided enough friction to rotate the mechanism smoothly. Water was lifted effectively by the bottle cap buckets and collected in the aluminum tray without any major leaks or misalignment. The entire setup ran consistently after adding weight to the motor for stable contact. This simple, low-cost prototype demonstrates how traditional irrigation concepts built.

If you make a similar project, I’d love to see it!

Drop a comment and let me know—I'm excited to see your version of the Persian wheel in action