Iraq – Dahuk’s water mill continues to spin and squeeze sesame for 500 years
Amadiyah District – Dahuk – Kurdistan – Iraq 12/01/2019
“Bari Issa” mill, which translates to Issa Bridge in Kurdish, is located in Al-Amadiyah District, east of Dahuk, Kurdistan, and it operates primitively through water energy. It squeezes sesame seeds into “al-Rashi”, also known as Tahiniya, which is available abundantly in the autumn season after the sesame harvest in different parts of the region. According to historical sources, the mill was built 500 years ago, in the 16th century, where both the water mill and the bridge were built then. This mill follows traditional methods in preparing sesame, roasting it with firewood, grinding it, and producing Al-Rashi in a primitive way through a mill that depends on water energy. Customers usually prefer the Rashi that is produced in a water mill because it tastes much better than that made in other plants.