Evora++Aqueduct

The Evora Aqueduct was built between 1531 and 1537. It's known as the Aqueduct of Silver Water. It was built to supply water to the city of Evora. The aqueduct is about five miles long, and begins at the bottom of the Height of St. Benedict.

An aqueduct is a water irrigation system used to transport water to different cities. It's like an open canal dug between a river and a city, the water flows by force of gravity. An aqueduct is just like a qanats that are used in Iran, qanats are a more complicated system. The Romans were the best aqueduct builders. Aqueducts are built at ground level, but underground when possible. In aqueducts when water sits still for a long time it can become contaminated, and unusable. Aqueducts are made out of a mixture of limestone and volcanic dust. Many aqueducts, including this one, are not used today, we use pipes instead. They were first used by Romans and Mayans.

Aqueducts have huge arches that stretch for 9 kilometers (about 5.6 miles). Franciso De Arruda who is well known for being a military architect and building the Belem Tower. At the end part of the aqueduct within the arches you can find many houses, shops, and cafes. Today 5 miles of the originally built aqueducts still stand. Many travelers say the best area to view the aqueduct is from the outside of the town. When night comes, the aqueduct looks very different than it does by day. It is very well lit and a makes for a great photo shot.