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Marshal Philippe Petain, then a general and in command at Verdun, organised a system that was dubbed the "noria" - or waterwheel - under which divisions from the whole of the French army were rotated through.

The evening glow was on the hills when we left the watercourses and followed a track that led between fields of full-bearded rye dotted with blood-red poppies towards a picturesque white-walled noria.

Protesters in other cities around the country have also been reportedly shouting: "We are sorry Hama - forgive us" and carrying model norias.

In the mean time we got together all the spare ropes in the village, including one from the noria, and at eight o'clock the next morning we set out.

They are irrigated by means of the native alakati, or noria, or more often by air-motors, which in this locality are much in vogue.