Deputy Director of Tehran’s Cultural Heritage said: People living in Tehran should know that a 150-year-old water mill on a completely well condition is at Youssef Abad Street and that its repair work has been carried out by a private owner.

This mill, dating back to the Qajar period, is located between the streets 51 and 53 of Yusef Abad in a small park. The mill was registered on May 24, 2007 with the number 19170 as one of the national works of Iran, and these days, after the end of its repair stages, it has been exploited and people can stop to visit the museum at Yousef Abad Street.

Mohsen Sheikhaleslami (Deputy Director of Tehran’s Cultural Heritage), pointing out that the repair work on Yousufabad’s water mill lasted for more than a year, said the monument is after the restoration, prepared for the use of the museum, and I suggest that everyone come to see it. Tehran people should know that a 150-year-old water mill is completely ok at Youssef Abad Street, and its affairs are carried out by a private owner.

According to him, the owner has decided to turn the site into a museum, and since this property is a water structure, it is likely to become a museum for displaying water related devices. In fact, we intend to implement the museum rules for this building, and this collection becomes a private museum in Tehran.

Sheikhaleslami has said that the owner has spent more than 600 million tomans and the government has contributed about 150 million tomans to the cost of repairing the Yusefabad water mill. Meanwhile, the survey was carried out under the supervision of the experts of the Cultural Heritage Organization and can be confirmed. We can even witness some innovative and special approaches in repairing this building.

A memorial that we saved from destruction

Seyed Esmaeel Ajayebi, son of the Haj Ajayebi, who is the main owner of this water mill, said: “This building was a memorial to my father. And since urbanization sought to destroy the monuments, we decided to plan for its revitalization. And after the restoration, make it a tourist destination. This building reflects the creativity of the Iranians, as they used water energy and turned the millstone wheel and turned wheat into flour.

He described the purpose of reviving the Yousef Abad water mill to the familiarity of the next generation with the architecture of such buildings and the familiarity with how the mechanism of the construction works, and continued: In the past, without the engine or the use of fossil fuels, they had defined a mechanism to make wheat Flour and bake it. It is set to restart this process, but it will be symbolic.

Ajayebi, pointing out that he is trying to earn money from this historic complex, said: “The property will be exploited in the form of a mill, and what is in there will be left as memorials.” Of course, a tea house next to the museum will start its activities and will offer a variety of traditional herbs drinks.

The ownerof the Yusefabad water mill about the museum objects that will be exhibited, said plow, machine tools, grinding tools for grinding wheat,… were considered for display in the museum and they are about to increase the variety of objects. Everything that is related to planting and harvesting wheat will be exhibited at the museum.

With regard to the problems and challenges for the restoration of the mill museum, he said: we have faced a lot of problems over the years in this respect as the municipality wanted this property because it is said to be the property of the Resalat tunnel, but we were able to register this property and seek to restore it.

Thus, alongside the Youssefabad water mill, known as the “small mill,” there was a larger mill, namely Gavmishi, which still remains in the house facing the Youssefabad mill.

The water of this mill, which is now about 250 square meters, came from the Shemiranat Mountains and turned both mills and drove its way to the Youssef Abad two-way and lower to Behjat Abad, and on its way again turned mills until the lower plains of Tehran Irrigated.

The mill worked up to 55 years ago, and there are still old people in the neighborhood of Yusef Abad who remember taking flour to the mill; an example of the remnants of Tehran, which can be found among the greenery around it.