Qanats of Syria

The Syrian qanats are part of a long history of hydraulic systems that can be found in Syria. The most famous hydraulic systems in Syria are the large waterwheels, called Noria, of which most can be found in the city of Hama; they formed a major tourist attraction in the past. Next to the lifting devices and water wheels, Syria has a wide variety of ancient dams and aboveground hydraulic structures that carry water over long distances through the desert (Calvet and Geyer 1992; Geyer1990). The Noria of Hama dates from the fifth century AD and were built in the Late Roman period.Calvet and Geyer (1992) found a mosaic from that period in the city of Apamea at the Orontes river that depicts a similar waterwheel (Calvet and Geyer 1992). The majority of Syria’s hydraulic structures in the desert can be linked to the forts of the “Strata Diocletana,” a major road network built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian (284–305 AD), connecting the Eastern fortifications built by the Romans such as the fort of Qasr al Hayr al Gharbi (Calvet and Geyer 1992; Geyer 1990). One of the earliest dam systems is the water infrastructure in Ras Shamra, which dates from the time of Ugarit and places these hydraulic structures in the twelfth century BC. Both Calvet and Geyer (1992, 1987)claim that it is thus likely that dams and water-capturing systems existed in Syria as early as the Bronze Age (thirteenth century BC). However, the majority of water-harvesting and supply systems in Syria were developed to carry water above ground and qanats, and underground water technologies were introduced at a later date.