كيف كانت تستقي حمص ١_a .. كتاب حمص

Chapter II

How did she draw chickpeas?

The residents of Homs had two main sources of water: the first source was the wells that were dug inside the houses, and the second source was the water of the Orontes River.

A - Wells:

It depends on groundwater, and its abundance depends on the amount of rain that falls in the cold months of the year, which are November, December, and January. Low temperatures and high amounts of rain help water penetrate into the underground layers and raise its level above the impermeable layer on which it rests, and the groundwater level. In Homs, it is close to the surface of the earth, especially in the western side, where the depth of the well is about four metres. As for the eastern neighborhoods: Bab al-Duraib and Bab Tadmur, which the residents used to call “Mashriq”, their wells are deeper and more abundant than the other wells of the city, and the depth of the well is more than eight meters. meters, which does not allow it to dry up in years of drought due to its depth, but most of its water is not suitable for drinking due to its high salinity and bacteriosis due to its proximity to the pits in which the floor toilets end. The well may be shared between two neighboring properties, as a result of the heirs dividing it or selling some of it: half or a third. Or a quarter. In this case, the well is part of the wall separating them. It is usually made of wood. The well is surmounted by an arch or an opening that leads to each of the two properties. A sewage device is attached to this opening or arch, and it is of two types:

1 - The pulley and rope device. The pulley is an iron ring with a perforation in the middle. Through this hole passes the metal axis around which it rotates. As for its circumference, it has two edges between which the rope runs. The rope has two ends, the first to which the bucket is tied and the second is loose with which the bucket is tightened to lift it from the bottom of the well after it is filled with water. .

2 - The sarbes device: It is a cylinder or cuboid of wood with an axis that penetrates it at both ends to support two supports, and each of its ends ends with four small wooden arms, each of which is called a grip. To these levers are attached wooden beams parallel to the axis of the sarbes, and at one of them the loose end of the rope is tied and at the other end. For the rope that connects the bucket, the person tightens the fist opposite it with his right hand, and when his right hand becomes at the level of his waist, the fist opposite his left hand becomes within reach, so he tightens it. Thus, the two hands cooperate in managing the sarps. During this, the mountain wraps around the circumference of the sarps, and the bucket rises, and when it is at the level of the hand, he takes it. With one hand, he empties it into the container prepared for the mullah: whether it is a fleece, a tin can, a tanjua, or anything else.

The well had another use other than pouring water. Some people would put the excess cooking from the dinner meal in the bucket while it was empty, then it would be lowered down to the size of a man’s height and fixed to protect it from insects, flies, cockroaches, and mice throughout the night. He also had his problems, the most important of which was that the bucket fell into the well, as a result of the rope breaking. 6 Then it was necessary to search for a man who practiced this craft and was known as (the father of the hooks), because the device he was using was a complete circle of iron, around its circumference hung several dangling metal hooks, and the circle had a ring in its middle. By tying a rope to it, Abu Al-Kalalib lowers his device attached to the rope until it is immersed in the water of the well, then begins to move it right and left or in a circular manner until the hooks become attached to the bucket and extract it.

However, if the team is a gerbil or a cat, then it is not enough to pull it from the well. An amount of water must be sprinkled, determined by the sheikh, which may reach forty buckets or more, until the well is purified and becomes fit for use. The task of flushing was carried out by women.

B - Orontes Water:

It is divided into two parts:

1 - River water, and we will discuss it in the context of the discussion.

2 - Al-Sakia Water: By this we mean the water stream that came out from the south of the old Al-Bahra Dam, and went winding, until Homs, watering the orchards located on the right bank of the river between Al-Bahra and Homs. We do not have any document before the first half of the sixth century AH, the half