Photo collection by Th.Schiöler Water-lifting by drafts animals Details of the sâqiya

Details of the sâqiya

Gearwheel from a sâqiya in the Valley of the Kings This is an abandoned gearwheel without any cogs. The wheel is seen from underneath. The footstep journal is just a pointed pivot, which rotates in a stone or a soft piece of wood. The next picture [125] shows this piece of wood. [124]		A bottom bearing seen in Khartoum, the Sudan The footstep journal rotates in a piece of wood. After some time the soft wood wears out and the pivot must be pushed to a new "hole". No lubrication is used. Because of the friction ( wood against wood ) and the weight of the wheel, this bearing makes a screeching noise that can be heard at a long distance and tells the peasant whether the sâqiya is irrigating his field or not. During the season, it works day and night. [125]		Pots are being emptied At the top of the wheel, the pots are gradually emptied. It is a complicated task to lash the pots to the two endless ropes. If the pots are placed between the ropes, they will collide with the brackets on which the pot garland hangs. So, the two ropes should be spaced in such a way that the pots ride on the ropes. The pots also ride on rungs, which are fastened to the two ropes like steps in a rope ladder. [126]
Boxes of wood in the Sudan All parts of the sâqiya are made of local material. Ropes are also locally made. Lining the well can be a problem if there is shortage of stones. [127]		Sâqiya in Pakistan From this photo, we can conclude that iron is about ten times as strong as wood, but it is seven times as heavy. Therefore, the drawbar and the top-bearing beam are of wood. [128]		Sâqiya in wood, Pakistan The wood is bought from the timber merchant, but the ropes are homemade. The spokes forming the wheel are kept together by a twisted wire. [129]
A miserable sâqiya in Thailand The originator of this miserable sâqiya is probably a European farmer who has no experience of local materials. Moreover, the shape of the bucket should be slender and not wide. [130]