Paraw Kukherd (from ar, باراو كوخرد, in fa, پاراو کوخرد 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; slight ...

system used. The ''Paraw Kukherd'' Qanat structures and ruins are located in the Kukherd District ( fa, بخش كوخرد), in Hormozgan Province. They are under the administration of the city of kukherd In

Bastak County Bastak ( fa, بستک) is a city and capital of Bastak County, Hormozgan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Tur ...

. The Paraw Kukherd 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

Qanat A qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 BC in what is now Iran. The function is essentially the same across ...

s 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. Qanats 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 characteris ...

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

Impact of qanats on settlement patterns

A typical town or city in Iran and elsewhere where the

qanat A qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 BC in what is now Iran. The function is essentially the same across ...

is used has more than one qanat. Fields and gardens are located both over the qanats a short distance before they emerge from the ground and after the surface outlet. Water from the qanats 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 qanat 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. T ...

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 qanat 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: باراو كوخرد Arabic Wikipedias. * :fa: پاراو کوخرد 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(
Gitashenasi Province Atlas of Iran
') * درگاه فهرست آثار ملی ایران

External links

Kookherd website
{{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 National works of Iran

Technical features

Impact of qanats on settlement patterns

See also

References

External links