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  Wednesday 2004-05-12 - Hama, Syria

Round and round

Our next (unscheduled but much appreciated) stop is at Hama to see the norias. These impressive waterwheels were built for both irrigation and water mains for the city via aqueducts, all powered by the water itself. When more and more water was held up outside for irrigation and didn’t reach the city any more and the norias fell into disrepair, the government realized this was bad for tourism, an important source of income here. Holding water was forbidden, and now 17 of the original 30 norias are restored to their full glory and again are pumping water into the city, groaning and splashing - I’m sorry I didn’t take a tape recorder! A friendly guard even lets us into the park for free (normally an entrance fee is required for the park) so we can walk a bit farther to see another group of norias.

posted: Saturday 2004-05-15 12:29 UTC cities, technology