The Canalizations of Zenobia or El Kanat are

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

s that according to traditions, were built by Queen Zenobia to channel water from the Orontes river in the

Anti-Lebanon The Anti-Lebanon Mountains ( ar, جبال لبنان الشرقية, Jibāl Lubnān ash-Sharqiyyah, Eastern Mountains of Lebanon; Lebanese Arabic: , , "Eastern Mountains") are a southwest–northeast-trending mountain range that forms most of ...

mountains to

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

. Remains of the ruins of the canals can be seen in places around

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

History

Some of the canals were built in the second century during

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...

's time, when the region was fully under Roman rule. There are bridges over canals, still standing from Roman times. It has been suggested that one of the canals originated from a mountain near Labweh extending to Qusayr. The other extends from the village of Chawaghir, north of

Hermel Hermel ( ar, الهرمل) is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancie ...

. The canals were cut out of solid

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

bedrock to a depth of with wells approximately every . Probably Queen Zenobia extended the original canals, in order to bring water to the nearly 200,000 inhabitants of the city and surroundings when she ruled her kingdom. The canals were used until the

Arab conquest The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories ...

, when they were destroyed.

Data

One of the canals is suggested to originate from a mountain near Labweh extending to Qusayr. Labweh has several archaeological sites of interest including three old caves with

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

and the remains of a temple. There are also remains of a Byzantine bastion and a Roman dam suggested to date to the reign of Queen Zenobia. Legend suggests that channels were carved through the rock to send water to her lands in

, Syria.Ba'albeck - Al-Hermal, Bekaa - Tourist Brochure
/ref> Another canal extends from the village of Chawaghir, north of

. The canals -until the outskirts of Palmyra- were cut out of solid

bedrock to a depth of with wells approximately every . The

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

al suggestion that the canals were originally constructed during the brief reign of Zenobia has been treated as probable -but not sure- by Michael Alouf, who notes the existence of canals traces in the desert.

References

External links

Lebanese Ministry of Tourism brochure - Hermel

Palmira, with archaeological detailed information
{{coord missing, Lebanon Macro-engineering Geography of Lebanon Archaeological sites in Lebanon Water transport in Lebanon Cuts (earthmoving) Roman sites in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon