While it is sometimes argued that crusaders may have been inspired by windmills in the Middle East, this is unlikely since the European vertical windmills were of significantly different design than the horizontal windmills of Afghanistan.
Ibland argumenteras för att korsfararna kan ha blivit inspirerade av väderkvarnarna i Mellanöstern, men detta är osannolikt eftersom de europeiska vertikala väderkvarnarna var av en i avgörande grad annan utformning än de horisontella väderkvarnarna i Afghanistan.