| Records |
| Author |
Shams, A. |
| Title |
A rediscovered-new ‘Qanat’ system in the High Mountains of Sinai Peninsula, with Levantine reflections |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2014 |
Publication |
Journal of Arid Environments |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume  |
110 |
Issue |
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Pages |
69-74 |
| Keywords |
Foggara, Irrigation, Levant, Qanat, Sinai Peninsula |
| Abstract |
Since the Achaemenid Empire in 532–332 BCE, the ‘Qanat’ became the central irrigation system in the arid and semi-arid lands. Several terms are used for ‘Qanat’ in different regions, including the Karez, Qanat, Falaj type Daudi, Qanat Romani, Fuqara (Foggara), or Khettara as known in Central Asia, Persia, Southeast Arabia, Levant, North Africa, or Morocco respectively. Typically, the ground, spring or surface water (i.e. seasonal floods or river-fed) sources feed similar irrigation system. Based on thirteen years of extensive survey and analysis work (i.e. Sinai Peninsula Research 2000–2013 CE), this paper presents a rediscovered-new Qanat system in the High Mountains of Sinai Peninsula (i.e. UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘WHS’ no. 954) under chronological open question with Levantine reflections. In 1970s CE, the present Sinaitic site of Farsh Abu A’lwan or the anciently known Farsh Shamma’a was archaeologically surveyed without a direct reference to the Qanat system in-situ. Scientifically, it is an argumentative and unique Qanat system in terms of chronology, location (region), site (local-setting), water source, size and household utility. It is the only discovered ‘Qanat’ across the Sinai, connecting the Near East and North Africa. |
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0140-1963 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Shams201469 |
Serial |
248 |
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| Author |
Remmington, G. |
| Title |
Transforming tradition: The aflaj and changing role of traditional knowledge systems for collective water management |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2018 |
Publication |
Journal of Arid Environments |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
151 |
Issue |
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Pages |
134-140 |
| Keywords |
Collective action, Subterranean tunnel-wells, , Traditional knowledge, Hydraulic heritage |
| Abstract |
Living in a harsh, desert climate, Omani rural communities have developed locally-appropriate knowledge to deal with water scarcity. Similar to the qanat, the aflaj taps into the natural water table and uses a gravity system to channel water through underground channels to villages. Traditional techniques of water management, such as the aflaj, represents a way of adapting to and coping with difficult climates which have persisted for millennia. However, knowledge systems have often ‘decayed’ with the onset of modernity. These management systems, which developed concurrently with early Omani date palm cultivation, have defined customary and hereditary water rights which are in decline. This article uses Ostrom’s Common Pool Resource (CPR) framework, which prioritises the collective management of shared resources to maximise the benefit for all involved and avoid diminishing benefits that are created by the pursuit of individual goals. Using this framework, this article’s evaluation of the literature found that traditional aflaj management systems have a great capacity to evolve and, therefore, the aflaj represents both a dying system, and a potential for climate adaptation. Historically, aflaj have been managed by ancient water users associations, which provide social controls and govern usage norms. The findings of this review are that the aflaj system’s ability to respond to pressures of modernity from competing institutions, including markets, and embedded social capital mechanisms will influence its capacity to mitigate uncertain hydrology and climate. This article suggests ways in which the management of the aflaj can adapt to a multiple institutional framework to ‘transform’ collective water management. |
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0140-1963 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Remmington2018134 |
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258 |
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Karaimeh, S.A. |
| Title |
Maintaining desert cultivation: Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic water-strategies at Udhruh region, Jordan |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2019 |
Publication |
Journal of Arid Environments |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
166 |
Issue |
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Pages |
108-115 |
| Keywords |
Irrigation, Qanat, Cultivation, Arid environment, Nabataean, Jordan |
| Abstract |
The site of Udhruh is located in the arid desert of southern Jordan, about 15 km to the east of Petra. The site was built by the Nabataeans but expanded by the Romans (as a defensive site) and was continuously occupied until the Early Islamic period. It receives less than the 200 mm of annual precipitation, which is crucial for agricultural cultivation. Archaeological evidence from earlier excavations together with new data from several survey projects indicate that areas around Udhruh were cultivated throughout the Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods (300 BCE–800 CE). The fundamental question is: how did the people of Udhruh sustain their community in the desert, and how did they transform the desert into arable land? The landscape could be utilised thanks to sophisticated water management and irrigation techniques. At least four underground qanat systems were identified providing Udhruh with access to groundwater. At the terminal end of the qanat systems, several types of closed surface channels conveyed the water to reservoirs, which subsequently distributed the water to the field systems. The water systems of Udhruh differ from the well-known Nabataean systems in the surrounding area. As Udhruh was taken over by the Roman army in 106 CE, this study analyses how the Nabataean water systems continued to function and adapt through the Roman and Byzantine periods. A complete understanding of Udhruh’s water systems helps to reconstruct past land use, agricultural activity, and irrigation practices in a currently arid region. |
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0140-1963 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Alkaraimeh2019108 |
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271 |
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