Birmil

These blue birmil sabīls are a relatively new form, offered in a variety of sizes and appearing in greater numbers in the 2020s. The birmils themselves are common objects used for storing water or in production processes (e.g. making torshy-pickled vegetables). To convert the birmil just requires adding a spigot near the bottom, and is a low cost option for creating a sabīl. Like the kūlmān, the water is cooled through the addition of ice; unlike kūlmāns, birmils are not insulated and so do not maintain the temperature of the water in the same way.

Birmil Photograph Gallery

A man in a white and red sports jersey and light pants bends down to fill the light blue cup from a bright blue kūlmān sabīl sitting on a red plastic stool at the corner of a city street. Tall residential buildings can be seen in the background.

A blue birmil sabīl sits on concrete blocks in front of a row of shops. The birmil is wrapped in burlap and has signs in Arabic wrapped to the sides in plastic. Below the birmil is a white bucket to catch runoff and a plant is in a bucket nearby. A plastic stool is functioning as the lid to the birmil and a yellow plastic cup is attached by a string and sitting on top.

A man in a black shirt and jeans bends down to fill a plastic bag from the tap of a light purple birmil in the courtyard of a residential building. The birmil is sitting on a yellow plastic stool and plants and a laundry rack can be seen in the background.