Iran, The Persian Qanat

Qanat is one of the wonders of desert cities. I visited three qanats in Yazd Province. A qanat or kariz, is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct. Constructed in Iran, Iraq and numerous other societies, this is an ancient system of water supply which allows water to be transported over long distances in hot dry climates without loss of much of the water to evaporation. 

The first qanat was in Ardakan City, which was also a museum, and you’ll hear lots of stuff about the old tools and water clock, which was really interesting. After that, we went to see Zarch Qanat, located in Yazd City, which is registered in UNESCO World Heritage Site; it’s the longest qanat in the world, and there we say how watermills work. The next day, we visited Mehriz City and Hasan Abad Qanat, also registered in UNESCO World Heritage Site. The water level and flow in this qanat, is one of the highest in Iran. It’s unbelievable that they dug these underground tunnels to transport water around. I suggest when traveling to Yazd, make sure to check out Mehriz, Ardakan and this qanats and get to see this ancient science for yourself.