The 200-year-old water mill between Diyarbakır's Hevsel Gardens, located on an escarpment in the Upper Tigris River Basin, and the historical Prophet Suleiman Mosque has been expropriated and restoration work has begun. Through the traditional methods, the historical mill will grind wheat after decades of being closed.
Included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, Hevsel Gardens in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakır has been home to ancient marvels on the banks of the Tigris River.
Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Reconstruction and Urbanization Department Head Mehmet Karaaslan stated that they are planning to turn the produced flour into bread with the tandoor (clay oven) and serve it to the citizens.
Only two of the five water mills are known to be on the line starting from the historical fortress in Diyarbakır's Sur district and extending to the Tigris River to have survived. The municipality started the restoration works by expropriating the mill in Fiskaya District. The expropriation works of the other mill continue.
The mill features a rectangular 'L' type horizontal wheel water mill with a courtyard. Since it is located on a slope, flumes are also used to slow the speed of water in the mill, which carries water with the arc system. After the environmental planning is done after the restoration, the historical mill will be functioning, producing wheat for breadmaking to be served to the local and foreign tourists.
"The restoration project of the historic mill, which was built about 200 years ago, was initiated by the Metropolitan Municipality, its approvals were obtained, the tender processes were completed and the site deliveries were made," Karaaslan added.
"We want to present the products of Hevsel Gardens to the people. At the same time, we wish to preserve our registered historical structures and transfer them to future generations. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we want to restore all of the registered mills within the scope of the cultural assets and put them at the service of our nation. The motto of "resurrection" is also reflected in our cultural assets. We are planning to complete all our projects in a very short time and to restore other structures in the remaining time," he added.