Water Power in Moorish Agriculture (Part 2)

al-Andalusia's Water Raising SystemsWhat was Introduced?
Saqiya's were Egyptian in origin and were in useMoorish Agriculture introduced many plants, the
since 250 BC. Saqiya's were animal-poweredmost significant were sugar-cane and cotton. Diet,
waterwheels. The Moors introduced them to thefashion and culture were revolutionized.
Iberian peninsula. Thousands of Saqiya's pumpedThe Moors brought many new vegetables:
and supplied water to the vast Valencian Orchardsaubergines, asparagus, spinach, and artichokes.
Norias were self-turning waterwheels. They wereNew fruits appeared: Pomegranates, limes,
a large wheel, edged with scoops, that emptiedlemons, oranges, melons, cherries, coconuts,
their contents into a tank or aqueduct. Theypeaches, strawberries, figs, pistachios and coffee.
functioned alongside rivers with currents.New crops: rice, hard wheat, maize, sesame. New
Ship Mills operated mid-stream, in swiftly flowingspices: saffron, ginger, mustard, cloves, nutmeg,
rivers, rendering the heavier work. There werecumin and cinnamon.
four in the Guadalquivir River in Cordoba; threeIberian peninsular vines and olive groves were
functioned until recently.al-Jazariimproved on. Mulberry bushes were grown: the
A maestro-designer of many water pumps andstaple diet of the silk-worm.
water clocks of the 13th century. TheCrops were cultivated for three basic reasons:
suction-pump design was derived from al-Jazari'sGeneral Consumption, Animal Foodstuff or for
work. Renaissance piston pump designs originatedFibre.
from many Islamic designs.Soil Preparation
How Important were Water-Powered Mills andOrganic growing ruled. Crops were harvested
Wheels?more times in al-Andalusia than in the any other
Extremely - Whole Industries Thrived from TheirEuropean country. Spain became a green garden.
Crushing or Grinding Abilities.The warm climate, however, was not the the
- Textiles: wool was compactedreason why.
- Metals: gold ores were crushedEvery event was carefully documented. Soil was
- Paper Manufacture: fibres were crushed to pulprepeatedly analysed and studied for many, many
- Wood Mills: Timber was sawnyears. Different manures were applied to distinct
- Agriculture: flour was ground, rice was husked,soils. Al-Andalus crop rotations spanned over a
sugar-cane was pressedperiod of several years - unlike European crop
Other Industries Arosesystems. Land quality was re-optimized with
- Sugar refineriesregenerating plants.
- Production of GunpowderWatching the Calender
- Textile weaving: silk, cotton, specialising in MerinoClocks and calenders fascinated the Arabs. Land
wooltimetables existed for watering times, prayer
- Steel production lead to ship buildingtime and optimum harvest dates were always
- Paper manufacturedocumented. Grafting: when-and-where was a
- Ceramics/Porcelain: losa dorada: lusterwarespeciality, equally: rising plant-sap and its repose
tableware and glazed tilesperiods, to know when to prune. A famous
- Tanneries: Cordovan embossed leather worktreatise on botany was published: the Cordova
- Inlaid marquetryCalender. It cleverly linked agricultural important
- Steel and Gold Manufacture. al-Andalusdates to Christian Holy dates.
commoditiesContinuation
- Granada was a major silk producer and of gunsThe snaking irrigation channels: acequias and water
and knivesstorage tanks: aljibes were built - by the farmers.
- Exquisite silks and brocades were woven inThey knew each section and how they had
Almeria and Sevillaconstructed them. Unlike the Roman army, who
- (Spanish Christians and European royals werebuilt, in place of the populace. The farmers would
enthusiastic clients for al-Andalus merchandises)prove vital if something needed repairing.
- Cordoba specialised in tapestries and leatherLandownership created a pride for caring the
workindividual plots - Europe functioned under a feudal
- Toledo was famous for its swords, inlaid in goldsystem and slaves had no pride in work done.
and silver Damascene decorProsperity and well being thrived. The healthy diet
- Malaga was famed for the quality silks and woolof al-Andalusia created a population boom. It was
- Salibat for paper productionwater and the proper use of water that created
- Almeria for glass manufacture and brassan unsurpassed level of civilization that was
- The Algarve was famous for its tilesunknown in Europe.