The wheels, called naoura, are of the most primitive construction, made of rough branches of trees, with palm leaf paddles, rude clay vessels being slung on the outer edge to catch the water, of which they raise a prodigious amount, only a comparatively small part of which, however, is poured into the aqueducts on top of the dams. These latter are exceedingly picturesque, often consisting of a series of well-built Gothic arches, and give a peculiar character to the scenery; but they are also great impediments to navigation.
The imports are chiefly cotton yarn and piece goods, kerosene oil, palm-leaf fans, aniline dyes, sugar and matches.
The repair of Islamic illuminated manuscript leaves and the conservation of palm-leaf manuscripts.
A fossilized palm leaf which is 50 MILLION years old is the latest addition to the collection at World Museum Liverpool.
So how did it change from a green palm leaf like this one into a beautiful fossil?
