Dašt-e Khāf

The dry plains of Khaf stretch across eastern Khorasan towards the Afghan frontier. Strong seasonal winds sweep this open country for months in the warm season, carrying dust and sand across the sparse desert shrubs. In the neighbouring settlement of Nashtifan, people turned the same winds to work by building vertical-axis windmills. Their sails stand behind high walls that direct the wind towards the machinery for grinding grain.