Quick Facts
- (Arabic) also spelled:
- kanat
- Persian:
- karez
- Berber Arabic:
- foggara
- Related Topics:
- water supply system
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qanÄt
A qanÄt at the National Library of Iran, Tehran.
qanÄt
water-supply system
Also known as: foggara, kÄrÄ«z, kanat, karez
qanÄt, ancient type of water-supply system, developed and still used in arid regions of the world. A qanÄt taps underground mountain water sources trapped in and beneath the upper reaches of alluvial fans and channels the water downhill through a series of gently sloping tunnels, often several kilometres long, to the places where it is needed for irrigation and domestic use. The development of qanÄts probably began about 2,500 or 3,000 years ago in Iran, and the technology spread eastward to Afghanistan and westward to Egypt. Although new qanÄts are seldom built today, many old qanÄts are still used in Iran and Afghanistan, chiefly for irrigation.
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This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
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