Water Systems in Southern Spain

At the main cathedral in Sevilla, there is a courtyard completely planted with orange trees in bloom. The smell was amazing! And orange trees are planted in the streets and plazas as well so it follows you everywhere.

I was even more impressed with the ancient irrigation system.

There is a maze of small channels that are all connected. There are fountains on the four corners of the courtyard that may have been used to fill the channels. Each orange tree is connected to the system. There is not an obvious slope in the channels but if filled from each corner the water might be evenly distributed and be taken up or evaporated across the courtyard. The only issue would be tripping hazards which could be easily fixed with a grate.    

The picture to the left shows a current tree irrigation technique in Retiro Park in Madrid. This simple detail channels the water to where it needs to go and uses the gravity on the sloped street to move the water.