Mértola water art

The water art of Mértola is a water lift in Mértola in the province of Alentejo in Portugal , which has been preserved as a ruin. The elevator consisted of a round tower in the Río Guadiana , from which the water was drawn, and an aqueduct through which it was led into the city. The vaults of the arch structure have long been broken.

The last vestige of water art can be found on the banks of the Guadiana

The determination as a water lift is based on the fact that the pillars and the tower cannot be added to a bridge, as there is no equivalent on the other side of the river. There are other special features:

1. the first of the pillars, the tower in the river, is stronger than the five onshore,
2. it has a round hollow that continues linearly through the next pillar and ends as a niche at the second pillar,
3. the cavities face the land and are perpendicular to the river. Then the aqueduct bends about 15 ° to the south.

According to this, the cavity was intended for the axis, at the free end of which a water wheel was attached. It should have had a diameter of 24 m. The scooped water flowed into a storage tank on the tower and was channeled into the city via the aqueduct. Since Roman and Visigoth spoils are built in, it was dated to the Moorish period (in Mértola from 712 / 14-1238), especially since there are comparable systems from this epoch.

literature

• Thomas G. Schattner (Ed.): Archaeological guide through Portugal (= cultural history of the ancient world . Vol. 74). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-8053-2313-1 , pp. 193-194.

Coordinates: 37 ° 38 '8.4 "  N , 7 ° 39' 50.4"  W.