al-Na‘urah al-Muhammadiyah is one of a number of famous Na‘urahs (pl. Nawa‘ir) that have been present in northern Syria for centuries. Mention of them first appeared in Vitruvius’, De Architectura, Book 10, Ch. 5.;¹ however, more frequent mention of them occur within Islamic texts, due to their extensive use within the Islamicate world. The al-Muhammadiyah dates back to the 14th century.

Na‘urahs were present from Islamic Spain (al-Andalus) to Iran and were used to irrigate lands or supply drinking water via aqueducts to towns and cities.

al-Na‘urah al-Muhammadiyah

This image appeared in the first issue of al-Funun and undeniably represents Nasib’s attempt to appeal to his readers’ sense of nostalgia for their homeland. It provides an interesting vignette of the Arab-American community of Nasib’s time, since its inclusion implies that there was a significant number of Syrians from northern Syria resident in the United States who would appreciate this image’s inclusion in the journal.