Water Tribunal of the plain of Valencia

The Water Tribunal of the plain of Valencia, also called the Tribunal of Waters, is a customary court that settles disputes over the use of irrigation water among farmers in the irrigation communities and canals of the Horta of Valencia, such as Quart, Mislata, Mestalla, Favara and Rascanya. It is described as the world's oldest court and the oldest democratic institution in Europe. Each of the nine irrigation communities sends one representative, called a syndic, and one of them is elected president for two years. The tribunal meets in public every Thursday at the Casa Vestidor in Valencia, hears each complaint orally and in Valencian, and keeps no written records; the trustee of the canal concerned does not take part in the decision but imposes any penalty under the community's bylaws. Its roots go back to the 10th century, traditionally to 960 CE under the Caliphs Abd-ar-Rahman III and Al-Hakam II, and it was added to the Spanish legal system in 1978. UNESCO recognised it as intangible cultural heritage in 2009.