Water Collection and Distribution Systems in the Palermo Plain during the Middle Ages

Water

Giusy Lofrano²  Maurizio Carotenuto¹  Roberta Maffettone³  Pietro Todaro⁴  Silvia Sammataro⁵ 

[1] Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano (SA) 84084, Italy; E-Mail:;Department of Environment, Waste Divison, Salerno Province, via Mauri 61, Salerno 84129, Italy;Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano (SA) 84084, Italy; E-Mail:;UNESCO IHP (International Hydrological Programme) 1 rue Miollis-Paris 75015, France; E-Mail:;Italian Alpine Club (CAI)-Sezione della Conca d’Oro di Palermo, via Nicolò Garzilli, Palermo 90141, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: history;    Palermo;    qanāt;    ingruttati;    gebbia;    senia;    saje;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w5041662

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

It has been said that Palermo is short of available water. However, nothing could be more wrong. Well-documented Arab sources and narrative chronicles reported an abundance of groundwater resources in Palermo Plain since the Middle Ages. The scarcity of sources and surface water in the Palermo Plain, compared to the groundwater abundance, led the inhabitants to use groundwater both for irrigation and domestic usage through a complex and sustainable hydraulic system. Vertical and horizontal (qanāts) wells, conveyed water towards gardens and public fountains making the Arabic Bal’harm (Palermo) a flourishing town. When visitors walk through the streets of Palermo’s historical center, among Arab ruins and Baroque architecture, they hardly imagine that there is a wide and varied cultural heritage of underground cavities hidden in the basements where water flows in intricate networks fed from a numerous springs. Only in recent years was a part of this system brought to light. Moreover, the city still has a wide and fascinating water distribution system consisting of irrigation basin (gebbie), ingenious hydraulic machines named senie, and distribution chessboard of irrigation (saje) and drinking water (catusi) canals. The medieval water collection and distribution systems and their various components in the Palermo Plain are reviewed together with the influence of the Arab water management on environment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.