What is a Noria?

Noria Corporation is named after the historic wheel used to hoist and transport water.

The word “noria” comes from the Arabic term Na-urah, meaning “the first water machine.” This was the earliest mechanical device propelled by means other than man or animal. The noria was an inevitable invention that sparked the development of countless types of hydraulic and rotating machines. Over the centuries, this device has allowed civilizations to nourish their villages and crops with water, the most fundamental of resources. In time, this triggered the beginning of a new era — the turning of arid lands into prosperous empires.

It is easy to speculate that the noria marked the beginning of the modern-day machine for which lubricants were first applied to control friction and wear. While the noria is probably the first machine not powered by man or animal, the wheel was invented much earlier than the noria. Examples of early chariots were found in the tombs of Yuaa and Thuiu in Egypt dating to 1400 B.C. with residue of a grease-like substance on the wheels. From this, one could conclude that lubricants were applied at the inception of the noria.

Much has changed since the early days of the noria, but the need for machinery reliability remains steadfast as an engineering imperative. In fact, we could say that the noria not only chronicles the evolution of the machine, but that it also stands as an icon for machine reliability. Consider the report that a noria has been in continuous operation in Syria for more than 1,000 years.