Terenah (from ar, تـِرنـُه , in fa, ترنه), the unique ancient methods of ancient

Kukherd Kukherd ( fa, كوخرد, also Romanized as Kūkherd, Kookherd, and Kuhkhird; also known as Chāleh Kūkherd) is a city and capital of Kukherd District, in Bastak County, Hormozgan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 4,390, in ...

population have been using to transfer the sweet water from Mehran salty river to the other bank of the river order to water their lands. The ''Terenah'' is a

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightl ...

system used and ruins are located in the

Kukherd District Kukherd District ( fa, بخش كوخرد), also transliterated as Kookherd District, is a district (bakhsh) in Bastak County, Hormozgan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 13,201, in 2,675 families. The District has one city ...

( fa, بخش كوخرد), in Hormozgan Province. They are under the administration of the city of

Bastak Bastak ( fa, بستک) is a city and capital of Bastak County, Hormozgan Province, Iran. Bastak was traditionally part of the region of Irahistan. At the 2006 census, its population was 8,376, in 1,765 families. See also *Achomi people *Eva ...

. The Terenah are an archaeological site of

Sassanid architecture Sasanian architecture refers to the Persian architectural style that reached a peak in its development during the Sasanian era. In many ways the Sasanian Empire period (224–651 CE) witnessed the highest achievement of Iranian civilization, an ...

Technical features

Terenah are constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by gently sloping

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s. Terenah tap into subterranean water in a manner that efficiently delivers large quantities of water to the surface without need for pumping. The water drains relying on

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 ...

, with the destination lower than the source, which is typically an upland

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...

. Terenah allow water to be transported over long distances in hot dry climates without losing a large proportion of the water to seepage and

evaporation Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase. High concentration of the evaporating substance in the surrounding gas significantly slows down evaporation, such as when humidi ...

Impact of Terenah on settlement patterns

A typical town or city in Iran and elsewhere where the qanat is used has more than one Terenah. Fields and gardens are located both over the Terenah a short distance before they emerge from the ground and after the surface outlet. Water from the Terenah defines both the social regions in the city and the layout of the city. The water is freshest, cleanest, and coolest in the upper reaches and more prosperous people live at the outlet or immediately upstream of the outlet. When the Terenah is still below grade, the water is drawn to the surface via

water well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. Th ...

s or animal driven

Persian well A Persian well is a type of water well found in the Middle East, often used in conjunction with a qanat. These wells feature an ox-driven pump where the ox walks in circles around a central drive shaft which turns a wheel that raises water via ...

s. Private subterranean reservoirs could supply houses and buildings for domestic use and garden irrigation as well. Further, air flow from the Terenah is used to cool an underground summer room (

shabestan A shabestan or shabistan ( fa, ; Old Persian ''xšapā.stāna'') is an underground space that can be usually found in traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Iran. These spaces were usually used during summers and coul ...

) found in many older houses and buildings.

References

* :ar: ترنه Arabic Wikipedias. * :fa: ترنه Persian Wikipedia. * الكوخردى ، محمد ، بن يوسف، (كُوخِرد حَاضِرَة اِسلامِيةَ عَلي ضِفافِ نَهر مِهران) الطبعة الثالثة ،دبى: سنة 199۷ للميلاد **Mohammed Kookherdi (1997) Kookherd, an Islamic civil at Mehran river, third edition: Dubai * محمدیان، کوخری، محمد ، “ (به یاد کوخرد) “، ج1. ج2. چاپ اول، دبی: سال انتشار 2003 میلادی Mohammed Kookherdi Mohammadyan (2003), Beyade Kookherd, third edition : Dubai. *محمدیان، کوخردی ، محمد ، '' «شهرستان بستک و بخش کوخرد» '' ، ج۱. چاپ اول، دبی: سال انتشار ۲۰۰۵ میلادی Mohammed Kookherdi Mohammadyan (2005), Shahrestan Bastak & Bakhshe Kookherd, First edition : Dubai. *عباسی ، قلی، مصطفی، '' «بستک وجهانگیریه»،'' چاپ اول، تهران : ناشر: شرکت انتشارات جهان * سلامى، بستكى، احمد. '' (بستک در گذرگاه تاریخ) '' ج2 چاپ اول، 1372 خورشيدى * اطلس گیتاشناسی استان‌های ایران

tlas Gitashenasi Ostanhai Iran A three-letter acronym (TLA), or three-letter abbreviation, is an abbreviation consisting of three letters. These are usually the initial letters of the words of the phrase abbreviated, and are written in capital letters (upper case); three-lett ...

(
Gitashenasi Province Atlas of Iran
') * درگاه فهرست آثار ملی ایران

External links

Kookherd website
{{coord missing, Hormozgan Province Archaeological sites in Iran Kukherd District Bastak County History of Hormozgan Province Sasanian architecture Monuments and memorials in Iran Buildings and structures in Kukherd District