DOCUMENTING HYDRAULIC DEVICES AT RISK IN DEFENSIVE HERITAGE OF AL-ANDALUS THROUGH PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES

Abstract. Most of the Islamic fortresses conserved in the south of the Iberian Peninsula are in rural environments, isolated from any population, and are in an important state of degradation and unawareness. One of the main remains of these constructions are usually the cisterns that supply water to these fortresses, an essential element for the subsistence and the evolution of these settlements. This research aims to study these hydraulic elements and others preserved in these fortresses, as well as the evolution of the fortresses itself since their development is irremediably linked.

An essential part of the study of these ensembles is the elaboration of an accurate and versatile graphic documentation that reflects its current state, its construction and its position in the territory. However, their situation in inaccessible places and their state of conservation hinders this task. Therefore, this paper shows a methodology based on the survey of photogrammetric models at an aerial and terrestrial level, from which the necessary documentation has been developed in order to advance in their knowledge, and also constituting an important basis for their cataloguing and dissemination. The study of these fortresses and, especially, their hydraulic systems, is essential for the knowledge and, therefore, the safeguarding of this heritage.