Qanats of Ghasabeh

Lore & Background

The Qanat Ghasabe has a link to the legendary Iranian king Kay Khosrow. Historical and geographical sources mention two main wars in the Gonabad region during his time: the Davazdah Rokh war and the Froad war, both noted in the Shahnameh. According to Nasir Khusraw, the qanat was built by order of Kay Khosrow. The use of water clocks in Iran, particularly in the Qanats of Gonabad and Kariz Zibad, dates back to 500 BCE. These clocks were later used to determine holy days of pre-Islamic religions such as Nowruz, Chelah, or Yaldā.

Reader's Guide

The Qanats of Ghasabeh represent a remarkable feat of ancient engineering, enabling water supply in arid conditions. Under the Achaemenids, tax exemptions were granted to those who constructed or renovated qanats, a policy that continued into the Islamic period. The Abbasid cleric Abooyoosef Ya’qoob stipulated similar tax waivers for bringing water to idle lands. The 11th-century book 'Extraction of Hidden Waters' by Karaji examined technical aspects of qanat construction. During the Pahlavi period, a government council oversaw qanats, but land reforms in 1959 led to many being abandoned as landlords lost incentive and peasants could not afford maintenance. In 2005, Iran and UNESCO established the International Center on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures to preserve and promote qanat technology. The site's UNESCO inscription in 2016 underscores its global cultural and historical value.

Did You Know?

• The Qanats of Ghasabeh were built between 700 and 500 BCE by the Achaemenid Empire.
• The complex contains 427 water wells with a total length of 33,113 metres.
• Water clocks (Fenjaan) were used in these qanats from around 500 BCE to calculate water distribution.
• The site was first added to UNESCO's tentative list in 2007 and officially inscribed in 2016.