Norias of Hama

35°8′7″N 36°45′11″E / 35.13528°N 36.75306°E / 35.13528; 36.75306

The Norias of Hama (Arabic: نواعير حماة) are a series of 17 norias, historic water-raising machines for irrigation, along the Orontes River in the city of Hama, Syria. They are tall water wheels with box-like water collection compartments embedded around their rims. As the river flows, it pushes these water collection boxes under water, where they quickly fill up, then are driven up to the top of the wheel where they empty into an aqueduct. The aqueduct can carry the water to supply buildings, gardens and farmland.

Seventeen of Hama's original norias have been conserved. They are notable for their medieval origins, for their large number and for the enormous size of two of them - for nearly 500 years the tallest waterwheels in the world. In the 21st century Hama's norias no longer provide a water supply but are celebrated as an example of advanced water supply technology in medieval Muslim societies and for the striking sights and sounds which they make as they turn. In 2006 the older of the two gigantic norias, the Noria al-Muhammadiya (1361 CE), was accorded Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark designation by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as marking a major step forward in technology internationally.^[1]