PERSIA 500 AD

The development of sail boats led directly to the development of the first recorded wind powered device in Persia (the Middle East). Sails were used to drive a mill stone for the grinding of grain. These were seen first in Persia, 500 AD. Some versions were also used to pump water for simple irrigation of agricultural land and for drinking water.

1000 AD

As sails developed, wind powered devices became more powerful. The device shown opposite was very common around 1000 AD. Similar devices can be seen in Cyprus and the Greek islands even today. They are still used to pump water for agricultural livestock.

The difference between this design and earlier designs is that the sails are shaped more efficiently to capture the wind and they spin vertically. Earlier devices relied on sails similar to those used by sail ships.

Europe 1300 - 1850 AD

This type of design became familiar to people in Europe between 1300 and 1850 AD. The design is much more like the traditional windmills we see even today. It was designed specifically for the large scale milling of grain.
It is believed that the design was developed from early water wheels. The technology that converted water power to grind grain could also be used with wind mills. The only difference was that the power came from moving air not moving water.