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Qanat

423 points| vinnyglennon | 2 years ago |en.wikipedia.org | reply

100 comments

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[+] eganist|2 years ago|reply
Related ancient Persian technology: the yakhchal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l) (a.k.a the ice pit).

We still use the same word in farsi for refrigerators today.

[+] userbinator|2 years ago|reply
Relatedly, the word "icebox" also used to be commonly used to refer to refrigerators in the early 20th century, because before the advent of domestic refrigerating machines, ice in a (insulated) box was used.
[+] jahnu|2 years ago|reply
I visited several of these things in Yazd. Super fascinating technology (and the city in general too).
[+] jagaerglad|2 years ago|reply
Just a minor off topic pet peeve of mine, but why not keep calling the language that Persians speak "Persian" in English? Just how it doesn't feel entirely right to suddenly start calling Spanish "Español" instead in English, or Swedish as "Svenska" and so on. I've met so many people not realizing the endonym "farsi" is just a (for some reason) new word in English used for the already well established name for the Persian language
[+] gitaarik|2 years ago|reply
Am I the only one that didn't understand how this is suppose to work from reading the first paragrah on the wiki article? My first question right away was: how do they get the water from an "underground aquaduct" to "the surface"? To me it seems the water would have to travel up. But by doing some more research, I understand the water well is higher up in a mountain, and the "underground aquaduct" is traveling down the mountain, and reaches the "surface" when it comes out of the side of the mountain. But the way it is described in the first paragraph of the article didn't make that clear to me. It amazes me that apparently other people don't have this question when reading about an "underground aquaduct" that brings water to the "surface". I would rather describe it as an underground aquaduct inside a mountain, guiding the mountain water to an edge of the mountain where it exits.
[+] strken|2 years ago|reply
I didn't realise the water table at higher elevations could be above the ground level of nearby lower elevation land, so I had the same issue. When I first read the article I thought a qanat was a type of stepwell[0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepwell

[+] mercenario|2 years ago|reply
Had the exact same question and though the same thing as you ("I can't believe the author didn't think this was an important thing to make clear in the first paragraph")

Didn't need much research because the picture later in the article made it clear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qanat#/media/File:Qanat_cross_...

Actually this has been my usual experience with wikipedia, the first paragraphs never make the subject clear to me, I always end up with a lot of questions.

[+] dr_dshiv|2 years ago|reply
The tunnel of Eupalinos is also an interesting reference. From before 550bc on the island of Samos, it was an irrigation tunnel through a mountain. They started digging on both sides and managed to meet in the middle just 60cm off. Pythagoras was just a boy at that time, but I like to think he was influenced.
[+] miohtama|2 years ago|reply
Qanat will be history soon. Iran, like West USA, has exploited available water resources and there is simply no water left.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity_in_Iran

[+] aixhole|2 years ago|reply
The qanat system was effectively destroyed by the Mongols when they invaded Iran centuries ago. That contributed to the desertification of Iran and its overall decline.
[+] inductive_magic|2 years ago|reply
Wonderful video which is somewhat related: https://youtu.be/twAP3buj9Og?si=muhCC08RsFzofObB
[+] pciexpgpu|2 years ago|reply
This entire thread is fantastic and a great learning opportunity. Sent me spiraling through Wikipedia pages. This video is really great too!
[+] archon1410|2 years ago|reply
It seems the video is making rounds yet again—it was also recommended to me by the algorithm a few days ago.
[+] adhdbrain|2 years ago|reply
This was an incredible video. Thanks for sharing!
[+] saagarjha|2 years ago|reply
The Wikipedia article mentions this part twice but it doesn’t seem to explain why:

> The system has the advantage of being resistant to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, and to deliberate destruction in war.

Like, it’s a tunnel underground; it sure seems like an earthquake might misalign or fill it so that it becomes unusable. Or in wartime I’d dump sewage down one of the shafts to ruin the water supply…what are the protections against this?

[+] geraneum|2 years ago|reply
Obviously, compared to other means of transporting water at that time! For example an “open” river could have been more vulnerable in certain circumstances.

Strong earthquakes may affect the path of the rivers as well.

But I see your point in that, resistance to earthquakes or adversities are not what Qanat/Kariz were famous for (as far as we know).

[+] saiya-jin|2 years ago|reply
Water pipes with 0 leeway for movement or elongation/shortening in the violently shaking ground or in the walls cracking seems less resilient, at least in some cases, than these 'mud' tunnels.
[+] MichaelZuo|2 years ago|reply
A lot of it might be hearsay or exaggerations.
[+] startages|2 years ago|reply
Qanat is an Arabic word which translates to "Canal", but it's a little more traditional and made to transfer water for long distances between a source of water and an agriculture field for irrigation.
[+] geraneum|2 years ago|reply
A little side note, the original name of Qanat in Persian is “Kariz”.
[+] zabzonk|2 years ago|reply
also mentioned in "Dune", the novel, along with other arabic/persian words.
[+] globular-toast|2 years ago|reply
I somehow managed to read most of Children of Dune without looking up what a qanat is. Since then I've remembered it specifically for use in Scrabble, but over 20 years later I've still yet to get the opportunity to use it (I don't play Scrabble much any more).
[+] fjfaase|2 years ago|reply
In 1993, I visted Turpan in Xinjiang and saw the exit of one of the many qanats there. Turpan is in a depression that is more than 100 meters below sealevel. The depression is rather flat, so you barely notice that you are that low. It is also a rather dry place with about 15mm of rainfall per year and very cold winters and very hot in the summer. Not so strange, as it is very far from any ocean. Turpan is famous for its grapes. During the summer they let grapes grow over streets and path ways to benefit from the shadow.
[+] nagonago|2 years ago|reply
A nearby shopping center used to be called Qanat until it got bought out and renamed to the very generic (Corporation) Square a few years ago. Everyone still just calls it Qanat because it's such a cool word, with an interesting history!
[+] simbolit|2 years ago|reply
I guess it is called "NAME OF THE CORPORATION square", but, well, isn't "corporation square" a great name for a mall!
[+] zeristor|2 years ago|reply
I’m guessing that the use of pump driven wells chasing the falling water table in the US means building these today isn’t viable, which is a shame.

Were the Persians smart enough to consider ground water recharge to feed the aquifers?

[+] ashalhashim|2 years ago|reply
“Cecil - No civilization in history has ever considered ‘chief hydrological engineer’ a calling.”