Ground broken on new development for UNESCO-tagged qanat

TEHRAN - Construction of a reserve reservoir for a UNESCO-registered qanat was officially begun on Thursday in Baghestan, a town in Ferdows county of Iran’s South Khorasan province.

Archaeological evidence may reshape Yazd history

TEHRAN – Recent archeological findings have shed new light on the history of Yazd, the UNESCO-registered oasis city in central Iran, proposing its antiquity may go down in time more than previously thought.

Craftswomen plan to revive ancient water systems near harsh desert

TEHRAN – An Iranian NGO, founded by a group of female Iranian crafters, has planned to financially support the revival of ancient qanats situated near the scorching Lut Desert in east-central Iran.

800-year-old qanat to turn into national museum

TEHRAN – The 800-year-old Bahaeddin qanat (underground aqueduct) in the central city of Ardakan is planned to be repurposed into a national museum.

UNESCO-registered qanat undergoes restoration

TEHRAN – Restoration work has begun on qanat of Ebrahim Abad, which is situated in Arak, central Iran. The monument is one of the country’s aqueducts registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage.

Qanats of Sa’dabad historical complex revived

TEHRAN – Four old qanats in the Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex in northern Tehran that had dried up over time, have recently been revived.

Qanat, an ancient invention for water management

For thousands of years, qanat (ancient subterranean aqueduct) systems have supplied water to agricultural and permanent settlements in arid regions of Iran.

400-year-old cistern restored in Isfahan

TEHRAN - The historical Tudeshk cistern, a vast subterranean reservoir for storing water in Isfahan province, has been fully restored and is ready to be toured by visitors, researchers, and architecture enthusiasts.

Ancient aqueduct identified in western Iran

TEHRAN – An ancient hand-dug qanat, an old type of underground water-supply system developed and still used in arid regions, has recently been identified adjacent to an archeological hill in Lorestan province, western Iran.

Aqueduct heritage in west-central Iran ‘very complex and interesting’, senior archaeologist says

TEHRAN – The ruins of some 100 qanats (subterranean aqueducts), which are stretched beneath the Buin Zahra plain, west-central Iran, along with their associated cultural heritage are “very complex and interesting”, a senior Iranian archaeologist has said.

Archaeological survey identifies 205 relics, ancient sites in Kerman

TEHRAN – A total of 205 relics and ancient sites have been identified during an archaeological survey in Kuhbanan, the southeastern Kerman province, suggesting that the region has long been a hub for Tutia (vitriol) production and the main corridor for human migration into the eastern parts of the Asian continent.

‘World’s longest qanat’ under restoration in central Iran

TEHRAN – A restoration project has been commenced on sections of Zarch Qanat in central Iran, which had been harmed by recent flash floods. Widely known as the world’s longest subterranean aqueduct, the qanat is stretched some 80 km across Yazd province.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Qanat, a solution to water scarcity?

For many years, the country has been suffering from droughts and lack of water resources; wetlands, rivers, lakes and open drains have dried up gradually. While experts believe that the current water scarcity is due to poor water management policies, do qanats give us the right policy?