In Cyprus until the 1950s water mills were used for the grinding of wheat. There were hundreds of watermills on the island, of which they are still in good standing for over forty, scattered in many of the valleys of the island.
The oldest known reference to the watermills is in a document of the 12th century. which refers to the assets of the monastery of the Virgin Mary of Krineon in the village of Lithikos next to Vasileia.
In the Molos area lies one of the two perfectly preserved watermills, the watermill of Kosti Giannaki.
These watermills are usually stone-built water towers, tall, rectangular, square or circular. The grooves leading to the pit are supported by arches or walls with trusses. It consists of an oblong one-storied, the long or two-room with beams or arches and a flat roof. The impeller is usually horizontal, wooden and later iron.
It is important for a place where conditions require proper management and water-saving to have hydraulic infrastructure plans for the collection, storage and distribution of water. This is an integral part of the once-high-tech mill, including dams, tanks, grooves, watercourses, pits, etc…