[H-CG25] Cultural Hydrology

[HCG25-P02] Archaeogeographical evidence of the prehistoric water utility and prevention in Southeast Arabia

*Yasuhisa Kondo¹, Takehiro Miki², Taichi Kuronuma¹ (1.Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 2.The University Museum, The University of Tokyo)

Keywords:Cultural Hydrology, Archaeogeography, Oman, Irrigation canals, Falaj

This poster reviews some cases of prehistoric irrigation facilities of Oman in arid Southeast Arabia from the perspective of cultural hydrology. Recently, a small canal dating back 5,000 years was discovered at the settlement site of Al-Arid in the interior of Oman. At the neighbouring World Heritage Site of Bat, tombs and circular platforms (towers) dating from the same period was erected on the terraces on the edge of the alluvial lowland. At the same time, stone alignments were built to close a shallow wadi in the lowland, suggesting that the structure served to dam floodwater. The wisdom of using the limited water resources of arid lands effectively was inherited by later periods in the underground irrigation canal system called falāj (pl. aflāj), which became a social technology that formed the foundation of traditional Omani society.