The Norias of Hama are a series of historical waterwheels located in the city of Hama, Syria. These wooden waterwheels, also known as "persian wheels," were used to extract water from the Orontes River and distribute it to the city's surrounding farmland. The norias were first built in the 13th century and have since become an iconic symbol of Hama, with 17 of these waterwheels still operating in the city today.
The norias are considered to be some of the largest and most well-preserved waterwheels in the world, with some of them reaching up to 20 meters in diameter. The wheels are powered by the flow of the Orontes River, and they work by lifting water from the river into irrigation canals, which then distribute the water to the surrounding farmland.