Archaeologists have mapped a sophisticated network of subterranean tunnels and channels beneath Gan Ha-Shelosha, carved into tufa rock and dated to the 14th–15th centuries under Mamluk rule. The engineered system channeled mountain water to drive paddle wheels and vertical crushing stones at downstream sugar mills, enabling a full sugar-production chain. The find challenges ideas of medieval technological stagnation and points to strong commercial links across Egypt and Asia.
Underground Engineers: Mamluk Tunnels Turn Mountain Water into Power for Medieval Sugar Mills
Archaeologists have mapped a sophisticated network of subterranean tunnels and channels beneath Gan Ha-Shelosha, carved into tufa rock and dated to the 14th–15th centuries under Mamluk rule. The engineered system channeled mountain water to drive paddle wheels and vertical crushing stones at downstream sugar mills, enabling a full sugar-production chain. The find challenges ideas of medieval technological stagnation and points to strong commercial links across Egypt and Asia.
19:00, 08.11.2025Culture
Medieval Hydraulic Network Discovered Beneath Gan Ha-Shelosha
Archaeologists have uncovered an intricate system of tunnels and carved waterways beneath Israel’s Gan Ha-Shelosha National Park that shed new light on medieval manufacturing and water engineering, according to a study published in Water History. Excavations in the Nahal 'Amal have revealed channels and chambers cut into tufa rock and dated to the 14th–15th centuries, during Mamluk rule.
Purpose-built subterranean hydraulics
Unlike the open aqueducts of Roman and Byzantine periods, this system was hewn directly into underground caves. Engineers routed otherwise turbid mountain water through purpose-carved conduits and vaulted rooms, converting raw flows into a controlled, renewable mechanical force that powered downstream industry.
How the mills worked
The water was channelled to drive horizontal paddle wheels located inside barrel-vaulted mill chambers. Moving water struck the paddles with enough force to turn vertical shafts connected to crushing stones above. The upper stone, or runner, rotated within a bowl-shaped lower stone to crush harvested cane and extract juice. That juice was then processed and refined into sugar crystals—demonstrating a complete production chain from water management to finished commodity.
Significance: The discovery highlights advanced practical engineering in the medieval period and suggests the Mamluk economy was both technologically capable and integrated into regional trade networks across Egypt and Asia.
Broader implications
These finds challenge the stereotype of a technologically stagnant medieval world by showing deliberate design, durable construction, and an organised approach to resource control and industry. The site contributes to a growing picture of sophisticated medieval hydraulics and industrial organisation in the eastern Mediterranean.
Study credit: Azriel Yechezkel / A. Frumkin et al., Water History. Initial reporting by Men's Journal.