L’Albufera

L’Albufera is a freshwater lake that is the prime wetlands habitat for birds in Eastern Spain. It is fed by the River Turia from the North, the River Jucar to the South and connects to the Mediterranean Sea through three drainage channels. Its maximum depth is 2.5 meters / 8 ft, but because of silt buildup it is getting shallower.
The barraca was the common housing style in this area; many of them are still in use for housing, storage and restaurants. The base of the house was made of clay and mud from the lake and the roof was thatched from the canes growing out of the water. The original barracas can be identified by the religious symbol on the roof. The Christian families put a cross on the roof, the Arabs had a crescent moon and the Jewish put a Star of David. Considering the Arabs and Jews were driven out of Spain in 1492, the barracas with the cross on top are much more common, but apparently there are still a few left with the crescent moon and the Star of David.
The Romans called it Nacarum Stagnum (which I think means the singing lake) and it was known as the Mirror of the Sun by its original inhabitors, the Arabs. Due to Arab rice farming techniques in the Middle Ages the lake has shrunk by 10 times its natural size. The ancient rice paddies are still in use today and account for 1/3 of Spain’s rice.