qanat
Sign in to savethumb|Channel of the Qanats of Ghasabeh in Iran's Razavi Khorasan Province, 2015.
Article
45 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Origins
- Features
- Impact on settlement patterns
- Construction
- Preparations
- Excavation
- Maintenance
- Applications
- Watermills
- Cooling
- Ice storage
- By country
- Africa
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Asia
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- China
- Iran
- Iraq
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel and Palestine
- Japan
- Jordan
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Syria
- Europe
- Greece
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- The Americas
- Symbolism in Iranian culture
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|Channel of the Qanats of Ghasabeh in Iran's Razavi Khorasan Province, 2015.
A qanāt () or kārīz () is a water supply system that was developed in ancient Iran for the purpose of transporting usable water to the surface from an aquifer or a well through an underground aqueduct. Originating approximately 3,000 years ago, its function is essentially the same across the Middle East and North Africa, but it is known by a variety of regional names beyond today's Iran, including: kārēz in Afghanistan and Pakistan; foggāra in Algeria; ' in the Atlas Mountains; the daoudi-type falaj in Oman and the United Arab Emirates; and ʿuyūn' in Saudi Arabia. In addition to those in Iran, the largest extant and functional qanats are located in Afghanistan, Xinjiang in China (the Turpan water system), Oman, and Pakistan.