The Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman are ancient water channels from 500 AD located in the regions of Dakhiliyah, Sharqiyah and

Batinah Al-Bāţinah ( ar, ٱلْبَاطِنَة) was one of the regions ''( Mintaqat)'' of Oman. On 28 October 2011, Al-Batinah Region was split into Al Batinah North Governorate and Al Batinah South Governorate. The region occupied an important locat ...

. However, they represent a type of irrigation system as old as 5000 years in the region named as Qanat or Kariz as originally named in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. "Aflaj" is the plural of "Falaj", which means "split into parts" in

classical Arabic Classical Arabic ( ar, links=no, ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْفُصْحَىٰ, al-ʿarabīyah al-fuṣḥā) or Quranic Arabic is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notab ...

. This irrigation system effectively divided the water among all the inhabitants; it flowed by

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

from their original sources to homes and cropland. The complex included

watchtowers A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

to protect it, but also

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

and other buildings. In 2006, five Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman were added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

list of

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s: Falaj Al-Khatmeen, Falaj Al-Malki, Falaj Daris, Falaj Al-Mayassar and Falaj Al-Jeela.

Bombing during the Jebel Akhdar War

Declassified information by the British National Archives later revealed that the British government deliberately destroyed the Aflaj Irrigation Systems and crops by air strikes during the

Jebel Akhdar War The Jebel Akhdar War ( ar, حرب الجبل الأخضر , Ḥarb al-Jebel el-ʾAkhḍar, lit=the Green Mountain War)

in order to prevent locals in the interior of Oman from gathering crops and denying them access to water supplies. Wadi Beni Habib and the water channel at Semail were among the water supplies that were deliberately damaged. Air strikes on

Saiq Saiq is a town in the region Ad Dakhiliyah, in northeastern Oman. It has its own airport, Saiq Airport. Climate Saiq has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: ''BSk''), with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation ...

and Sharaijah rendered cultivation in the areas "hazardous". Furthermore, these documents reveal that the British Foreign Secretary gave the approval on 4 August 1957 to carry out air strikes without prior warning to the locals residing in the interior of Oman. The ban on visas for the press by the sultan and the ability of the British government to carry out air strikes discreetly using Masirah Airfield helped in sustaining the military operations under low profile.

World Heritage Designated Aflaj

References

External links

Explore the Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture
{{World Heritage Sites in Oman World Heritage Sites in Oman Irrigation in Oman Irrigation

Bombing during the Jebel Akhdar War

World Heritage Designated Aflaj

See also

References

External links