20:
222:
204:. This 12th-century Almoravid origin is considered one of the most plausible and frequently repeated hypotheses. Manuel Ocaña Jiménez, another 20th-century scholar, believed that the 9th-century ruler Abd ar-Rahman II was most likely responsible for its construction. More recently, archeologists Alberto León Muñoz and Alberto Javier Montejo Córdoba agree with this, arguing that 19th-century photographs of the structure (before later changes) show architectural elements characteristic of the 9th century and indicative of a construction during the reigns of Abd ar-Rahman II or his successor,
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house that had been built on the side of the structure facing the river. This uncovered the original southern facade of the noria building, though Hernández Giménez had to further expand the central arch of the structure in order to create fittings for the axis of the replica wheel. In the decades after this restoration, the wooden wheel began to warp out of shape, and between 1993 and 1994 it was replaced again with an exact replica.
130:
261:
In the 1960s, the architect and scholar Felix Hernández Giménez was tasked by the city council to conduct a restoration of the noria, including a reconstruction of its medieval waterwheel. In order to rebuild the waterwheel, Hernández Giménez had to demolish more of the former mill, in particular a
257:
which remained operational until the 20th century. Between 1904 and 1910, a dam was built around the area of the mill in order to contain the river during floods. The dam's construction resulted in the demolition of a part of the historic mill building as well as the demolition of two of the three
270:
The noria's original purpose is believed to have been to raise water from the river and into an aqueduct that delivered water to the city and to the nearby
Alcazar (royal palace). The wheel, which has a diameter of 15 meters, was propelled by the force of the river's current. Buckets around its
212:
in the 14th century, with additional restorations in the 15th century. Adding to this, Ricardo Córdoba de la Llave argues that historic Muslim sources are not explicit in their mention of the
Albolafia noria in particular and that the evidence of the building's masonry and of nearby medieval
383:
Castro-García, Miguel; Rojas-Sola, José Ignacio; de la Morena-de la Fuente, Eduardo (2015). "Technical and functional analysis of
Albolafia waterwheel (Cordoba, Spain): 3D modeling, computational-fluid dynamics simulation and finite-element analysis".
172:
claimed that the waterwheel existed in the early 9th century, but it's unclear what evidence he had to support this date. Sources from the 10th century mention the existence of water mills along this part of the
Guadalquivir River. The
274:
After the 15th century, following the original wheel's dismantlement, the noria was no longer used to supply water and the aqueduct which connected it to the city was dispensable. A part of the aqueduct, consisting of three
279:, was still standing and attached to the structure up until the beginning of the 20th century. Today, only one of its arches, standing perpendicular to the river and to the main axis of the building, is still visible.
225:
The
Albolafia mill in a 1907 painting. The arches of the former aqueduct are visible on the right side and a house for the more recent mill is attached on the left side; but both elements were demolished in the 20th
141:
The exact history and origins of the Noria of
Albolafia are not clear, although it is known that norias of this kind were a common feature of hydraulic technology across much of the historic
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725:
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meaning equivalent to "good luck" or "good health", came from an architect called Abu l-Afiya who renovated and improved the noria in the 12th century. The word
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316:
213:
structures suggests that the current structure was built in the 14th century, though it could have been a reconstruction over an earlier
Islamic noria.
208:. Felix Hernández Giménez, who restored the structure in the 20th century, claimed that large parts of the structure could be dated to the time of
876:
999:
947:
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foundations as Romans also used hydraulic mills along the river. Four Roman mills are believed to have existed here and were connected by a
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886:
891:
718:
791:
239:
756:
247:
165:
85:
625:
Ocaña Jiménez, Manuel (1975). "Córdoba musulmana". In
Bernier Luque, Juan; Juárez, José María Ortiz; Hierro, Miguel Salcedo (eds.).
551:
524:
360:
221:
193:
19:
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116:(ناعورة), which comes from the Arabic verb meaning to "groan" or "grunt", in reference to the sound it made when turning.
821:
801:
776:
743:
327:. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Departamento de Ciencias de la Antigüedad y Edad Media, Universidad de Córdoba: 149–190.
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181:, writing in 1306, likewise claimed that a large noria was built here in the 10th century (presumably during the time of
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A Companion to Late
Antique and Medieval Islamic Cordoba: Capital of Roman Baetica and Caliphate of al-Andalus
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250:. It is possible that the creation of new water supplies also made the noria redundant or dispensable.
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on the left is all that remains of the former aqueduct which brought water from the wheel to the palace
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168:(royal palace) and improving the city's water supply. In particular, the 16th-century writer
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remaining arches of the former aqueduct which delivered water from the wheel to the city.
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Some authors cite the
Albolafia's origins as early as 9th century at the time of
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Modern scholars have differed on the most likely origins of the structure.
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circumference collected water and dropped it into the aqueduct's channel.
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At some point in the 16th or 17th century, the noria was converted into a
174:
419:"Albolafia (2 o 2) - Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs | Virtual Tour"
105:
353:
Water Engineering and Management through Time: Learning from History
317:"La noria fluvial en la provincia de Córdoba. Historia y tecnología"
600:. In Monferrer-Sala, Juan Pedro; Monterroso-Checa, Antonio (eds.).
220:
142:
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53:
24:
18:
246:, who complained of the noise it made as she lay sick inside the
242:. The wheel of the noria was dismantled in 1492 on the orders of
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707:
628:
Córdoba: colonia romana, corte de los califas, luz de occidente
100:
According to Spanish scholar Felix Hernández Giménez, the name
515:
M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Córdoba".
192:, a 20th-century Spanish scholar, supported earlier claims by
596:
León Muñoz, Alberto; Montejo Córdoba, Alberto Javier (2023).
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that helped to control the water and direct it to the mills.
238:
of Cordoba that depict the city's riverbank along with the
543:
Water Architecture in the Lands of Syria: The Water-wheels
164:, who was responsible for improving the gardens of the
654:"Restauración en el molino de la Albolafia de Córdoba"
517:
The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture
196:
that the noria was built in 1136-37 by Tashufin, the
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of the city, though its exact origins are uncertain.
230:
The noria was clearly featured in some 14th-century
956:
940:
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569:"La Albolafia de Córdoba y la gran noria toledana"
351:. In Cabrera, Enrique; Arregui, Francisco (eds.).
349:"Water engineering and management in Al-Andalus"
476:"Early Arab Water Technology in Southern Spain"
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8:
442:Barrucand, Marianne; Bednorz, Achim (1992).
347:Roldan, Jose; Moreno, Maria Fatima (2010).
88:. It is commonly believed to date from the
985:Buildings and structures in Córdoba, Spain
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712:
704:
133:View of the noria from the city side: the
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52:('Mill of the Albolafia'), is a medieval
200:governor of Cordoba during the reign of
546:. L'Erma di Bretschneider. p. 55.
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652:Hernández Giménez, Feliz (1961–1962).
423:alcazardelosreyescristianos.cordoba.es
598:"The Medina: The Old City of Cordoba"
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149:. The Albolafia noria may well have
493:10.1111/j.1747-6593.2004.tb00519.x
112:, in turn, is derived from Arabic
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990:Historic centre of Córdoba, Spain
444:Moorish architecture in Andalusia
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567:Torres Balbás, Leopoldo (1942).
386:Energy Conversion and Management
757:Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
398:10.1016/j.enconman.2014.12.047
78:historic watermills of Cordoba
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1000:Moorish architecture in Spain
802:Plaza de Toros de los Califas
631:(in Spanish). Léon: Everest.
480:Water and Environment Journal
777:Hospital of Cardenal Salazar
540:Miranda, Adriana de (2007).
80:and is located close to the
31:For the Arabic surname, see
897:San Juan y Todos los Santos
744:Historic centre of Córdoba
604:. Brill. pp. 205–207.
519:. Oxford University Press.
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842:Hospital de San Sebastián
787:Mills of the Guadalquivir
474:Headworth, H. G. (2004).
266:Description and function
922:San Nicolás de la Villa
877:Juramento de San Rafael
446:. Taschen. p. 35.
76:. It is one of several
948:Alcázar of the Caliphs
690:37.876778°N 4.779972°W
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190:Leopoldo Torres Balbás
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45:Molino de la Albolafia
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27:of the Albolafia today
907:Santa María Magdalena
248:Christian-era Alcázar
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16:Islamic era Watermill
797:Palacio de la Merced
695:37.876778; -4.779972
42:, also known as the
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62:Guadalquivir River
33:Abulafia (surname)
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812:Puerta del Puente
638:978-84-241-4010-6
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183:Abd ar-Rahman III
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60:) along the
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902:San Lorenzo
887:Santa Clara
837:Roman walls
693: /
681:4°46′47.9″W
392:: 207–214.
90:Islamic era
84:and to the
979:Categories
941:Demolished
917:San Miguel
892:Santa Cruz
664:: 161–173.
576:Al-Andalus
453:3822896322
428:2021-02-20
283:References
255:flour mill
210:Alfonso XI
206:Muhammad I
179:Ibn Idhari
177:historian
147:Al-Andalus
104:, with an
58:waterwheel
932:San Pedro
927:San Pablo
847:Synagogue
752:Albolafia
502:108444717
198:Almoravid
102:Albolafia
96:Etymology
40:Albolafia
870:Churches
321:Meridies
226:century.
175:Moroccan
658:Al-Mulk
236:council
234:of the
166:Alcázar
143:Islamic
125:Origins
120:History
70:Córdoba
64:in the
50:Spanish
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582:: 176.
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114:nā‘ūra
106:Arabic
572:(PDF)
498:S2CID
232:seals
151:Roman
110:noria
74:Spain
54:noria
25:Noria
633:ISBN
606:ISBN
548:ISBN
521:ISBN
448:ISBN
357:ISBN
185:).
155:weir
56:(or
38:The
23:The
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488:doi
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
