The (islamic) water-lifting wheels of the andalusi hydraulic system in Murcia (Senda de Granada). Technological precedents and functional proposal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/aytm.v22i0.2674Abstract
The archaeological excavation of a section of the vegetable garden of Murcia near the city, laid bare in hydraulic andalusíes’ structures, along with several batches of buckets (arcaduz, qâdûs) tudmiríes findings dates from the 10th and late 11th or early 12th century.
The discovery of these Islamic structures and ditches on a late Antiquity archaeological context reopened in Murcia the old debate on the possible pre-Arab origin of its irrigation system, leading to different interpretations of its classical background. However, the conclusion of the study of hydraulic structures and stratigraphic analysis and material contexts have refuted that thesis, at least regarding North heredamiento (or Aljufía), and have come to confirm our initial hypothesis that can be synthesized on three main aspects: first, the undoubted Islamic affiliation of the canals and hydraulic structures documented and therefore the irrigation system in northern Murcia heredamiento; after that, the extent of irrigation perimeter of this part of the hydraulic system and its dating in the 10th century; and in the last place, the first al-Andalus’ archaeological identification which we have called aceña of acequia, used to extract water from an irrigation ditch in the open.
From the technological point of view we made a brief review of Al-Andalus and current models and its classical antecedent wheel extractor of animal traction, represented in a funerary monument of Kôm el-Dikka (Alexandria, Egypt).
Finally, although not the subject of this study, archaeological findings regarding their dating and extension in the North heredamiento allow us indirectly to extend these findings to Murcia’s rest of hydraulics and time of its “foundation”, and raise new hypotheses about its construction process.
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