Our legends of February-Spanish Legend

 

CELLA´S AQUEDUCT

     

Once upon a time, a long time ago a very rich and important emir, who had a beautiful daughter called Zaida, lived in Cella. The father was proud of his beautiful daughter and dreamed of arranging a good marriage that would make him even richer.         

At the same time, in Albarracin, the Abenracin family reined, governed under the just hand of their King, Abu Meruan. This King had a large family including his outstanding youngest son who was a courageous soldier and a great horseman who loved to ride over the mountain range in times of peace.

One afternoon, the young man was riding in the areas surrounding Cella and to his surprise, he met a young woman who was as beautiful as the moon. She was Zaida, the daughter of the emir of Cella. The young man fell completely in love with her eyes, with her hair and with the girl´s beautiful voice.

From that day on, every afternoon at the same time, they saw each other in the same place. One day, Zaida did not appear. Her mistress came in her place and told Abenracin that Zaida´s father had given her hand in marriage to a rich emir.

Abenracin told his father, the King, to see how this situation could be solved. Abu Meruan, decided to send a mission with numerous gifts to ask for Zaida´s hand. 

However, Zaida´s father took no pity on him. – I am sorry, Abenracin, I know that your love for my daughter is pure, but she is already engaged to marry a rich emir.

-          Is there no way of breaking this commitment?- Abenracin asked.

-          Only if you get the river Guadalviar that runs under your house in Albarracin to irrigate my fields in Cella. - Zaida´s father answered.

-          Sir, please give me a deadline and I will get the waters to irrigate the roses that my dear Zaida looks after. – Abenracin asked.

-          Abenracin, you have five years to do it in. – The father said.

The following day, King Abu Meruan gave orders to start working on the aqueduct that would take the waters from Albarracin to Cella.

For five years, five hundred men worked day and night to complete the aqueduct. A few days before the deadline that the emir of Cella had imposed, water irrigated the fields in Cella.

Zaida and Abenracin married in Cella, the water came via the aqueduct from Albarracin and they all lived happily.