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| Water Supplies of
the Holy Land |
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Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 3, p. 81. |
A Well in a Garden of
Haifa
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A pleasant sound of falling water attracted us towards a rudely built stone
reservoir . . . .Water was falling with considerable force into the reservoir
from a duct supplied by a series of earthenware jars attached to ropes made of
palm fibre, which revolved round a vertical cog-wheel, moved by means of a
horizontal wheel also cogged, which was kept in motion by a blindfolded mule. As
the creaking wheel turned round, the jars dipped into the well and were filled
with water, and as soon as they reached the top of the wheel they emptied
themselves into the trough, and so on again and again as long as the mule kept
up his monotonous round, urged on by a little barefooted boy, stick in hand . .
. . (This machine is called a sâkiyeh; it is said to be of Persian origin
and is much used in Egypt.) A hole in the lower part of the wall of the
reservoir was every day unplugged for a certain time, and the water allowed to
flow into the little furrows or channels which intersected the beds of
vegetables and encircled the trees. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 3, pp.
94-95.) |
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Engedi, The Fountain of the Kid ('Ain Jidy) |
Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 3,
p. 203. |
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At the base of a rock, the copious warm
fresh "Fountain of the Kid" (En-gedi or 'Ain-Jidy)
bursts forth amidst an oasis of tropical
vegetation . . . .The full stream gushes out
from beneath a huge boulder upon a narrow
terrace of rock four hundred feet above the
level of the [Dead Sea], and, rushing down the
steep declivity, its course hidden by rich
tropical vegetation, flows out upon a broad
patch of alluvial soil . . . .Over this it
dashes in a sparkling cascade, and again
collects itself below in a quiet pool fringed
with graceful tamarisks and fragrant
oleanders. The roots of the luxuriant growth,
however, absorb the water, and the brook never
finds its way down to the sea. The water of
the spring is warm (83° Fahr.), of a sweetish
taste, and impregnated with lime . . . .
Farther to the north the fountains of 'Ain
Terabeh, el Ghuweir ("the little lowland"),
and El Fesh-kah, the last a large and copious
one, flow into the lake, but their waters are
brackish, and the spring of 'Ain Jidy seems to
be the main source of sweet water on the
western shore. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 3, pp. 191, 202, 203.) |
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Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 162. |
Aqueduct at Gilgal |
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Before reaching the modern village of Jericho,
on the way to the Jordan, we see this
beautiful acqueduct, one of the most handsome
specimens of stonework that we found in
Palestine. It is intended to convey the water
from Elisha's Fountain into Jericho, and is a
striking contrast to the miserable villages
near it and the desolate plain around it. . .
. Lieutenant Conder describes "no less than
five acqueducts that follow the course of Wady
Kelt, some of them irrigating the land south
of it, while others carry the water north far
and wide over the plain." The aqueduct
suggests the original wealth and beauty of the
land which was once watered by these springs
at the foot of the Judean hills, therefore
Jericho was in those days known as "the city
of palm trees," but, save a single survivor,
there are palms no longer. During the time of
the Crusaders there were plantations of sugar
cane here that brought large revenue to the
Knights of Jerusalem, and the ruins of the
vaults and acqueducts that supplied water for
irrigation are still seen. (Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 162.) |
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Water Carriers |
Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 77. |
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"Ya Auwad Allah" (May God recompense me) is
the cry of the Sakka or water carrier as he
plies his trade in the streets of Cairo . . . .
During eight months of the year he brings his
heavy load all the way from the Nile, and the
labor, which is severe, is miserably
under-paid. During the remaining four months,
while the river is rising, he obtains his
supply from the canal which intersects Cairo.
Many of the Sakkas sell water to the people on
the streets. These are known as "Sakka Sharbeh."
Sometimes they carry the water in a large
earthen vessel on their backs, at other times
it is carried in the ordinary goatskin bag.
The thirsty passer-by receives his draught in
a brazen chalice or in a Kulleh (porous
bottle), and if he be generously inclined he
bestows a small copper coin on the dispenser;
otherwise the Sakka must find his satisfaction
in the consciousness of a good deed done.
(Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 77.) |
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See
Marketplace,
Water in Egypt,
Water
Systems in Jerusalem,
or
Women and Work |
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