| June 02, 2024

Aflaj Exhibition

Oman is hot, arid country characterized by steep, rocky terrain and very few streams. Most areas receive only 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) of annual rainfall, making rainfed agriculture all but impossible. Yet, scattered over a vast expense of mountains and deserts are thousands of villages surrounded by lush orchards and fields. Many of these village date back centuries, even millennia. Therefore, aflaj is the source of water that sustain these communities. Aflaj (Singular, falaj), ancient water systems that arise from within mountains, flowing down in channels like waterfalls and passing through vast hills and plains to bring life to land and spread greenness and foliage all around. The falaj is a gently sloping channel, often originating below ground, that taps groundwater or springs and brings the water from the source to villages and beyond to irrigated lands.

Aflaj consists of the following physical elements:

A source of water known as the mother well;

Gently sloping, often subterranean transportation channel(s), some kilometers (miles) long

The first opening to the surface known as the Shari’a

Some shafts for inspection and ventilation

Above-ground water distribution system via lined ditches

A finance and administration system which distributes the water to the community

There are 3 types of falaj in Oman

Ghaily: where the source is a base flow of a wadi or normally dry streambed

Ayni: where the source is a natural spring; and

Daudi (Iddi): where the source is a mother well

This model depicts an Iddi falaj. It shows a traditional Omani falaj demonstrates an ingenious water delivery system developed 2000 years ago that makes sustainable use of groundwater. In 2017, University of Arizona donated this model to cultural center of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). After that it is transferred to UNESCO Chair on Aflaj Studies and Archaeohydrology (UCASA) in University of Nizwa.

The lessons of Omani falaj

The philosopher Santayana famously said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But history offers more than cautionary tales; it also offers lessons on coping with a wide array of social and environmental challenges. Increasingly, scholars study how ancient civilizations managed their land and water, not just out of academic curiosity, but also for insights into how we might address modern resource challenges. In particular, they seek clues into achieving sustainability. Any civilization whose water supply and agriculture systems have endured for millennia clearly has practices. The ancient of Oman are a good example. Ancient Omanis using simple tools learned how to tap groundwater by creating artificial springs. They also developed aqueducts and siphons for transporting water, methods of timekeeping for allocating it, and agriculture practices for efficiently using it. Equally important, they developed a social system for sharing the benefits and responsibilities of the falaj system. Their remarkable physical structures and resilient social systems for capturing, transporting and sharing water offer a number of lessons. Today, Oman is working to preserve this knowledge and preserve and restore falaj systems.