Comparative Analysis of Animal-Powered Waterwheels in Mediterranean Alluvial Plains: Medjerda (Tunisia) and Jucar Rivers (Spain)

Ghaleb Fansa Saleh (), Emilio Iranzo García and Alejandro J. Pérez Cueva
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Ghaleb Fansa Saleh: Department of Geography, Universitat de València, Avenida Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Emilio Iranzo García: Cátedra de Participación Ciudadana y Paisajes Valencianos, Department of Geography, Universitat de València, Avenida Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Alejandro J. Pérez Cueva: Department of Geography, Universitat de València, Avenida Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: The animal-powered waterwheels of the meandering River Medjerda in Testour, a Tunisian town of Moorish foundation, are compared with those in the alluvial plain of the River Júcar in the region of Ribera Alta (Valencia, Spain). The methodology used in this research is qualitative-analytical and based on the comparative study of groundwater catchment systems on Mediterranean alluvial plains. The environmental characteristics (geological, climatic, hydrological and hydrogeomorphic) of both sectors are analysed to confirm the environmental similarities between both sites. The location and characteristics of these systems have also been analysed, including aspects such as technological evolution and current status, as well as their coexistence with other traditional irrigation systems. The similarity in the location, characteristics, and state of the systems in the two chosen sectors is confirmed, as well as the near absence of significant differences. For this reason, the work highlights the importance of environmental factors as opposed to cultural factors in the use and location of waterwheels.

Keywords: animal-powered waterwheels; Testour (Tunisia); Ribera Alta (Spain); cultural heritage; traditional irrigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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