Wadi Al-Tuffah (Apple Valley) and the Water Mills

Description of the site: Wadi Al-Tuffah forms the western extension of the valley on which the city of Nablus was established during its historical stages, located between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim. The valley is distinguished by the fertile agricultural areas, and the abundance of water throughout the year's seasons. The valley was nourished by the surplus water of the springs, which lie along its course to the west of the city, such as Ein Al-Sharish, Ein Beit Al-Maa, Ein Al-Subyan, in addition to the springs of the Rafidia region, such as Ein Al-Kafir, Ein Al-Jisr, Ein Rafidia, and many other springs from Nablus helped in the cultivation and production of irrigated crops of various kinds of fruit and vegetables, which used to supply the city's markets throughout its long history.However, recently, due to the urban expansion that took place at the expense of agricultural land, and the depletion of spring water due to the population explosion, this cultivation began to decline gradually, and only a tiny percentage of these crops remained.On the other hand, the sufficient quantities of water and the speed of its flow formed a suitable environment for establishing grain mills that operate by water energy along the valley. The oldest of these watermills dates back to the Roman period, and they continued to be rehabilitated during the subsequent periods until they came to an end in the thirties of the last century, when the mills stopped working because of the advent of modern mills.The water mills consist of a water channel carried on high stone arches to secure a high water drop directed through an upper opening into the mill building, which consists of two floors. The ground floor is a room that includes a metal wheel to which the water stream is directed from the upper site, which causes it to rotate with the shaft that is installed in the center of the wheel, and the upper end of the axle shaft is fixed to the center of the basalt millstone. This stone rotates with the rotation of the iron axle. The cycle of this stone over a fixed basalt stone passes between the grain, which leads to crushing and turning it into flour. The mills and their arches remained visible until the eighties of the last century, when they began to disappear due to urban expansion gradually; only two of them remained in poor construction conditions.