Al-naoor is a traditional water wheel made of wood that revolves around its axis. In Iraq, it uses it to control water levels on streams flowing from the Euphrates River, which are lower than fields nearby.
A Noria (Al-naoor) in Iraq described in the 10th century by Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (Al-Hawi) could lift as much as 153,000 liters per hour or 25,500 liters per minute. Compared to modern Norias in East Asia, which lift as much as 288,000 liters per hour, or 4,800 liters per minute, this is comparable to the output of Norias in the modern era.
In contrast to waterwheels found in watermills, norias do not supply mechanical power to any other process. This is also because many historical norias were hybrids, consisting of water wheels that were assisted by animals. A noria has at least once been known to feed seawater into a saltern around 200 B.C. on the Euphrates River, in order to irrigate even when the river's levels receded. Through this great invention, agricultural prosperity was achieved in the Fertile Crescent.
The community invented the al-naoor wheel to raise river water to the fields. The wheel is formed of twenty-four wooden sticks, each topped with a clay jug, and roped around the outer circumference with palm leaves. It is usually eight to twelve meters in diameter, and it is usually placed vertically between two stone pedestals on the side of the river. While the current forces the wheel to rotate, the water collected from the river flows into the jugs on top of the wheel. This is then poured into the waterways leading to the fields.
Since the wheel has been turned more recently, it has also been used to generate electricity and to operate water mills used to grind grain into flour. As well as being a source of livelihood for many artisans involved in its construction, Al-naoor is also a source of income for artisan carpenters, potters, and builders.
Even though water wheels were modified over the centuries, their basic design was used for decades until new dams, political instability, and violence led to a serious decline in agriculture in the area. On the day of the al-naoor mounting, the celebrations are held. It is including traditional poetry performances, singing, and dancing. Hopefully, in the future, it would flock tourists to the city.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-craft-skills-and-arts-of-al-naoor-01694) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noria) (https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2019/07/can-iraq-save-its-historical-water-wheels.html)