Brilliant constructions of the ancients: Persian kyarises as a way of prosperity in the desert

Underground water supply systems built by ancient architects still exist in different parts of Eurasia, from the Crimean peninsula to western China. The ingenious and at the same time simple design has been working without fail for several centuries, admiring modern people. But the most ancient similar structures are Persian kyariz, which are preserved in the territory of modern Iran.

Not far from the Iranian city of Gonabad, you can see unusual round mounds that are clearly distinguishable from the air.

This is nothing more than a part of kyariz - an ancient plumbing system that was built by the Persians. Today, this hydraulic structure is included in the list of UNESCO sites located in Iran.

The kariz, or, as they are sometimes called, ropes, began to be built in Persia about 2.5 thousand years ago, and the ancient builders, apparently, had excellent knowledge in the field of hydrology, geology and physics.

The Kyarizas were a system of wells interconnected by an underground water supply, which was located on a slope. In addition to wells, in the kyariz system there were ventilation shafts, on the walls of which moisture condensed, also flowing into the underground water supply. The underground canal was constructed manually and required significant labor costs.

This hydraulic system worked flawlessly, providing the population of the nearest region with clean water and making it possible to engage in agriculture in semi-desert conditions. Of course, the construction of kyariz and its maintenance in working condition required considerable labor costs, but it was worth it. And a confirmation of this is the many similar structures that still exist in the Crimea, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and China.

Some kariz have survived to the present day and continue to fulfill their function, as well as hundreds of years ago. For example, with the help of water from kyariz, the garden of the National Library of Iran located in Tehran is irrigated. The current one is kyariz in the Iranian city of Gonabad, on the territory of the Shirvanshahs residence in Azerbaijani Baku, not far from Chinese Turpan and in some cities on the territory of the Crimean peninsula.