Not far from Felanitx, in the vicinity of Es Carritxó, one can find a marvel of an old Moorish well: La Sínia de s’Hort d’en Pons. The well is called a sínia de cadufos, as it uses ceramic vessels (called “cadufos”) to bring up the water with the tireless help of a donkey or a mule.

The Sínia d’en Pons is thought to date from the Moorish period, i. e. around 1000 to 1200 A. D. like so many other sínies, pous, aljubs or norias on the island. The Moors, Arabs and Berbers, were experts in water conservation and irrigation, who had brought their knowledge with them from the Maghreb. Unfortunately, most Mallorcan ancient wells are now in a deplorable state of disrepair. Only every now and then one can find an historic wheeled well such as this one which has been lovingly repaired and conserved. The restoration work of this sínia in 2008 did not come cheap with a total budget of 46,000 €, but luckily, the Consell de Mallorca contributed two thirds of the investment, or so it is said.

Here you can see the Sínia de s’Hort d’en Pons in full swing (the pun is intended):

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 22nd, 2009. The time was 15:55:25. The video comes courtesy of the Consell de Mallorca, Departament de Medi Ambient. Moltes gràcies.