AN INTRODUCTION TO QANAT AND AN ANALYSIS OF ITS SITUATION IN THE WORLD

At a glance, Qanat may seem a very simple technique to tap groundwater. Seemingly qanat is nothing but a horizontal tunnel with lots of shaft wells, a tunnel that extends toward the water bearing zone to drain groundwater out. But with a deep thinking about qanat and its different aspects, we will come to the conclusion that Qanat is one of the most complicated traditional techniques which demands a deep knowledge of groundwater dynamic, geological formations, civil engineering, hydraulic, etc. In many parts of the world, the lack of permanent surface streams has led to using qanat as the possible way to obtain water. They have always been considered as the focal points of urban and rural societies in arid and semi-arid communities. Qanat is a good example of human's harmony with nature. Qanat brings about life and prosperity in the desert, functioning like the veins of desert, and is a basis for the civilization of qanat, civilization of hardworking, patience, satisfaction and gentleness. A civilization that has ever never waged any war and invasion, and history bears, witness to the fact that the oppressor rulers never emanated from this territory.