Aflaj Irrigation System of Oman
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How it came to be
A falaj, plural aflaj, is an Omani irrigation channel that collects groundwater, spring water or surface water and carries it by gravity alone, through underground or surface channels, to villages and fields. Archaeological evidence suggests irrigation in the area as early as 2500 BC, and the system itself may date back to about AD 500. More than 3,000 aflaj still work in Oman.
The water is shared on a time schedule read from the community's sundial, and sluices send it to each farm in turn. Part of the water and land is set aside to pay for maintenance. Watchtowers and forts were placed near the distribution points and channels, and where good farmland was scarce, houses were built on the slopes.
In 2006 five aflaj, Al Jeela, Muyasser, Daris, Malki and Khatmein, four around the Al Jabal Al Akhdar range and one in the Sharqi range, were inscribed as World Heritage. Falling groundwater and roads cut across the channels are among the threats.
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