A 14th-century manuscript by Al-Dimashqi shows a cross-section of a typical vertical windmill

Travellers in Muslim civilisation including Al-Istakhri (10th century), Al-Qazwini (13th Century) and Al-Dimashqi (14th century) described Central Asian windmills in their writings. Built on top of castles or at the crest of hills, the windmills had vertical shafts onto which vertical vanes were mounted to catch the wind.