Norias

A noria is a type of water-wheel used for raising water out of the ground or from a river, usually for the purposes of irrigation. Norias were employed all throughout the Arab world but the ones shown here are all in Spain.

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There are various types of noria. The simplest type type consists of a necklace of clay or wooden buckets which is slung over a vertical wooden wheel and dangles down into a well. The wheel supporting the necklace of buckets may be turned by the use of a small, simple windmill, but the earliest necklace-type norias were turned by animals.

The second type of noria consists of a large narrow water wheel which is superficially similar to the wheel used to drive a mill. The noria water-wheel is entirely independent; it does not drive anything. It is designed in such a way that, as it turns, the wheel scoops up water and lifts to a higher level, above the level of the land to be irrigated.
This type of noria was generally powered by the river whose water it pilfered, but a few were sited over wells and were driven by animals.

A third type of noria consisted of a wooden wheel the size of a large cartwheel whose sides were entirely planked. The two circles of wood enclosed a rustic wooden spiral. When the wheel turned, water was scooped into the spiral and - as the wheel continued to turn - was funnelled towards the centre of the wheel. A hole at this centre point allowed the water to trickle out into a small canal, or aqueduct.
This last type of noria was only capable of raising water by a distance equal to the diameter of its wheel. So far as I am aware, it was only ever ever found at a salterns. It was usually turned by a windmill.

The word noria is derived from the Arabic, na'ura, meaning to weep. This aptly describes the constant trickle of water got from one of these machines.


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