Old wooden well pulley - Tuareg, Niger
Indispensable element of water points in the Sahel. Over many years the rope creates friction on the pulleys, slowly digging deeper into the wood, creating beautiful grooves. After years this item becomes a real piece of art. Read the story..
The story
Niger is a drought-prone country in Africa. Located on the edge of the Sahara Desert, there is little rain and people depend on underground water collected from deep wells dug by hand. Saharan wells can be as deep as 80 meters to 250 meters, depending on the location.
Because of this, it requires a long rope and a large bucket. The buckets are lowered to the bottom of the well and either pulled to the top with the efforts of multiple people, or attached to an animal. Over many years the rope creates friction on the pulleys, slowly digging deeper into the wood, creating beautiful grooves.
After years this items becomes a real piece of art.