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| Falaj (plural aflaj) is a local word used in
both the UAE and Oman and, it has an ancient Semitic root.
It is an irrigation system that has been locally developed
in southeast Arabia since the Iron Age, around 3000 years
ago. The system can be described as a horizontal underground
tunnel connected with the surface with vertical shafts. Water
is drawn through this tunnel from the original source to the
cultivated land by gravity. The technique, apply locating
an adequate source of water and sinking a mother well. |
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| The bottom of the mother
well is always higher than the cultivated land, therefore,
the tunnel will thus have a permanent flow. There is no fixed
length for the tunnel as they vary from 3 to 30 kilometres.
However, a 10 kilometres long tunnel is a standard length
in the region. The system is widely used in the UAE and Oman
and it seems that it was developed in Arabia rather than in
Persia, as had been previously suggested. The city of Al Ain
alone has many of these aflaj, (dry and alive) belonging to
different periods. The archaeological evidence shows that
two of them at least go back to the beginning of the first
millennium BC. |
Hili 15
This falaj site is located to the north of Hili Archaeological
Park, a few hundred metres to the east of Hili 17 and
runs just to the north of Hili 14. It was discovered and
excavated by the Department of Antiquities in the 1980s.
Open channels, a sharia, a cut and cover section and a
single shaft hole were uncovered. The large collection
of pottery found associated with the open channels and
the sharia belong to the Iron Age, Period II.
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Bint
Saud Falaj
This falaj was discovered west of Bint
Saud outcrop to the south of the excavated building. Several
shaft holes and a subterranean tunnel were excavated at different
spots.
 The
most important was the discovery of the sharia,which was discovered
below the surface of the ground.
Like Hili 15 Pottery found in the sharia is of Iron Age. An
approximate date of 1000 BC was given to this falaj as well
as to the near-by structure.
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