Well House
Encyclopedia
Well house is a term for a type of buildings erected in Israel in the 19th century around water wells, especially near orange groves.
. Farmers began to live in the live in the orchards, and built their homes near the wells. The entire orchard was surrounded by a wall for protection, thus forming areas with residential buildings surrounded by green gardens. The houses were usually gravel, and at first were one story. Towards the end of the 19th century it became more acceptable to add a second story, and sometimes even a separate building. That created a separation between the owners (who lived on the second floor or nearby villa) and the workers, animals, and warehouses. Trading activity sometimes occurred on the ground floor. Richer workers plastered the simple sandstone walls, and added roof tiles, iron railings, and decorative tile floors.
Wells were dug at the well house. Water was pumped through two sets of wheels—horizontal and vertical—moved by camels or mules. Modern systems have since been established, driven by diesel-powered engine. A storage pool would be established near the wll, and water flowed to canals to irrigate the orchards, using gravity. Some wells were transferred to Sebils
established outside the walls.
Description
During the 19th century the process of development began outside the city walls of JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
. Farmers began to live in the live in the orchards, and built their homes near the wells. The entire orchard was surrounded by a wall for protection, thus forming areas with residential buildings surrounded by green gardens. The houses were usually gravel, and at first were one story. Towards the end of the 19th century it became more acceptable to add a second story, and sometimes even a separate building. That created a separation between the owners (who lived on the second floor or nearby villa) and the workers, animals, and warehouses. Trading activity sometimes occurred on the ground floor. Richer workers plastered the simple sandstone walls, and added roof tiles, iron railings, and decorative tile floors.
Wells were dug at the well house. Water was pumped through two sets of wheels—horizontal and vertical—moved by camels or mules. Modern systems have since been established, driven by diesel-powered engine. A storage pool would be established near the wll, and water flowed to canals to irrigate the orchards, using gravity. Some wells were transferred to Sebils
Sebil (drinking water facility)
Sebil refers to a public water facility designed for human drinking. These were historically located at crossroads, or places where drinking water could be made available to those in need, and can be found on the external walls of the Mosques or in the yard for drinking ritual purification before...
established outside the walls.