Hama Waterwheels

Known locally as norias, the waterwheels are a peculiarity of the city of Hama, and the river that runs through it, the Orontes. These constructions had their origins in Byzantine times, where they were the solution to Hama’s irrigation issues, lifting water to higher land. Hama’s 17 waterwheels, some as large as 20m in diameter, still whir today across the city, though not for irrigation purposes.