Roman Empire In the 5th century BCE,
Carthaginian settlers in the town of
Ilici planted the first date palms of Elche. After Rome’s conquest of the Iberian peninsula in the 2nd century BCE, Roman settlers introduced the first elaborate forms of agricultural water management. To irrigate their cereal and olive tree crop fields, the Romans constructed a dam at the Vinalopó River bed in the mountains north of Elche. Aqueducts then channeled the dam water to Elche.
Córdoba Caliphate and Al-Andalus Environmental Engineering In the 10th century CE, the Caliphate of Córdoba moved the city of Elche seven km away from
Ilici to its present location. The Caliphate from the 7th to 10th century expanded the irrigation system into a complicated canal system centered on the Vinalopó river. The rulers applied
North African water management techniques to create an oasis in an arid environment. Faced with scarce rainfall, irregular river flow, and brackish water from the Vinalopó river, the Caliphate in the second half of the tenth century planted palm groves. The palm trees prevented soil erosion, decreased water evaporation, provided shade, and protected crops from wind. The Caliphate divided the groves into
huertos (rectangular base agricultural unit, Spanish for orchard) forming
huertas (groups of
huertos). Palm trees were planted in a grid pattern with single or double rows along the rectangular
huerto edges. The palm trees enhanced agricultural production in an arid region with summer temperatures consistently above 30 °C and annual rainfall below 250 mm (9.8 in). Forage plants, cereals (
i.e., corn, wheat, barley, alfalfa), and medium-sized trees (
i.e., pomegranates) were planted inside the
huerto for human and livestock consumption. In addition to agriculture, tenants planted elaborate gardens. Elche residents prized gardens and orchards as respites from the arid conditions, offering an oasis of scents, sounds, touch, and visual beauty. In the
Islamic period, gardens symbolized paradise. A strong literary tradition presented gardens as metaphors for love, loss, memory and the passing of time. The “desert castles” garden-estate concept first entered the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century CE when Umayyad amīr
Abd al-Rahman I fled from Syria to Córdoba, Spain. Under the Caliphate of Córdoba, the garden-estate tradition percolated into Toledo, Seville, Granada, and Elche. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, later rulers of Al-Andalus continued the garden-estate tradition. Elche residents planted linear walled gardens in which water channels established symmetrical plots, irrigating rectangular landscapes of fruit trees, flowers, vegetation, and often walkways flanked the sides. With over 20 branches, the main canal
Acequia Mayor channeled the brackish water from the Vinalopó River through secondary channels and partidores to crop fields. Upon reaching
partidores north of Elche, the water flow split into the
partidor de Albinella and the
partidor de Marchena. The
partidor de Albinella diverted water into Elche for urban consumption and industrial production. The
partidor supplied small industries (
i.e., oil and soap producers), bathhouses, and local markets. The
partidor de Marchena within the
Acequia Marchena channeled water to the right side of the Vinalopó River. The
Acequia Mayor on the left side of the Vinalopó River stretched south across Elche to the crop fields. The
Acequia Mayor ended at a partidor channeling excess flow into two reservoirs. The canal system was maintained under Islamic rule until the Christian Reconquista.
Christian Kingdoms Redistribution of the Canal System In the 13th century, Christian rulers conquered the city of Elche from Al-Andalus. The Christian rulers claimed the canal network and redistributed its sections between Elche’s Christian and Muslim residents. All lands left of the river, called the
Huerta Major or
Huerta de los Cristianos, belonged to the Christian tenants. The Christian canal system contained nine irrigation parts from the
Acequia Mayor. All lands right of the Vinalopó River, known as the
Huerta de los Moros, belonged to the Muslim occupants. The water mills disappeared in the 20th century due to the introduction of electricity to Elche. The Christian residents also introduced palm weaving. The locals wove desiccated “white palms” for decorative and processional use on Palm Sunday. The canal extension distributed water to a reservoir north of the town then south to the
Séquia Major for crop irrigation. From 1632 to 1646, Elche residents built a dam to reinforce the
Contraséquia. Every landowner received water at a specified time and water part. The irrigation system distributed water in a two-ring system composed of
huerto water and
dula water. In the 20th century, industrialization and urban sprawl led to the abandonment of many
huertas. Industrialization supplanted agricultural production economically, reducing palm groves to a cultural and landscape role. By the second half of the 20th century, date harvesting (which still occurs between November and December) and "white palm" production became heritage activities reserved for the local marketplace. Limited land availability for the expanding footwear industry and a rising urban population resulted in the government seizing many
huertas. Housing, social infrastructure, and parks were erected atop former
huertas. As industrialization reduced palm production to a minor economic role, the Palmeral contracted in size. Legislative action by the Spanish national government and Valencian regional government preserved the site. == Protections and threats ==