Norias, Fountains and Water
Andalusis considered water to be an essential element.
The advanced hydraulic techniques for the supply of water, baths, gardens, fountains, and so forth, comprised the basis of the standard and quality of life (public baths, acclimatization of vegetable species, the sanitation of houses, and so forth).
The Umayyad rulers of Al-Andalus centred their policies on stimulating anything in relation to agricultural development. In this respect, the Andalusis were masterful in the use of water, vital for this “industry”. The noria was one of their main legacies that contributed to a large extent to the development of this prosperous sector. The Arabs called it the Naura (the one who weeps) because of the sound made by the noria on turning.
This is reflected through-and-through in Ciudad Al-ManSur with its fountains and acequias (irrigation channels), homes with their own lavatories, streets with drainage, the irrigation channels at full flow and the noria replete with clear water.
