A shadoof or shaduf, well pole, well sweep, sweep, swape, or simply a lift is a tool that is used to lift water from a well or another water source onto land or into another waterway or basin. It is highly efficient, and has been known since 3000 BCE.
The mechanism of a shadoof comprises a long counterbalanced pole on a pivot, with a bucket attached to the end of it. It is generally used in a crop irrigation system using basins, dikes, ditches, walls, canals, and similar waterways.