Dale Lightfoot’s Qanat: Stream of Wells is an ambitious examination of one of the world’s oldest forms of water management, known by many names throughout the world, including: foggara (Algeria, Libya); khettara (Morocco, Mauritania); and karez (Iran, Afghanistan). Qanats are slightly sloped subterranean drainage galleries which passively abstract and transport groundwater through gravity, sometimes over many kilometres, to the surface where the water can then be accessed and utilized. For thousands of years, qanats were fundamental to the establishment and growth of agriculture and settlements in arid environments. Though scholars have studied the qanat in multiple regions, their work has generally focused on the site or regional levels; there has not been an extensively researched, global exploration of the subject since Henri Goblot’s, Les Qanats: Une Technique d’Acquisition de l’Eau (1979). Lightfoot’s decades-long meticulous research into qanats provides the most comprehensive account of the technology to date and should be essential reading for any researcher interested in traditional water management systems.
Lightfoot begins his narrative highlighting the wide geographical presence and significance of the qanat; he notes that more than 90,000 systems exist globally, with nearly half still functioning. He criticizes the lack of appreciation for the ingenious and sustainable systems from both the general public and scholars. He declares that this book is his attempt at making qanat technology more visible and appreciated, by creating an atlas for, and updating the history of, the qanat. He aims to make the qanat more well-known especially in the world of modern water management.
The book’s first three chapters are foundational to understanding the qanat. Chapter 1 provides an essential introduction to the qanat and its development, variations, and complexities. Lightfoot emphasizes that gravity allows qanats to function, defines what is and is not considered a qanat, and describes the qanat’s core characteristics and optional features. The chapter also illustrates the impacts that qanats had on the growth of settlements, land tenure and agricultural systems, and the social frameworks that constructed and maintained the qanats. Chapters 2 and 3 detail the geological and hydrological knowledge and construction techniques necessary for qanat creation, terminology (including a comprehensive list of the names for the qanat around the globe), and the diffusion of qanat technology. Lightfoot disputes the simplistic, traditional Persia-outward diffusion narrative that has dominated scholarship since D.G. Hogarth’s, The Penetration of Arabia (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1904). He instead offers convincing evidence from his own fieldwork conducted in multiple countries, along with others’ research and textual evidence, that demonstrates that qanats were also independently developed at multiple locations and diffused in leapfrog patterns. This is a central revelation of Lightfoot’s tome.
The heart of the book is found in chapters 4–15, which are an encyclopaedic atlas of the qanat organized by region and country. These chapters are supplemented with the successful integration of informative maps, satellite imagery, and photographs, clearly illustrating the story of the qanat in each locale. Each chapter combines the historical background of the qanat with the modern challenges that face their persistence, and in some cases, the growing efforts of the re-establishment of the technology, which is further explored in chapter 17.
Chapter 16 describes the practical side of studying qanats: the problematic dating of the construction and use-period of qanat systems, and the mapping and analysis of their global distribution, diffusion, and patterns of abandonment. Lightfoot covers the techniques that were used by scholars in the past, and more recent innovations such as satellite remote sensing and GIS software that now allow more precise mapping and analysis.
In chapter 17 Lightfoot addresses current work to revitalize qanats, considering sustainability initiatives and cultural heritage preservation throughout the world. He successfully argues the value of integrating traditional water management technology and management strategies into modern efforts, especially in those regions that face water scarcity.
Lightfoot draws on over three decades of experience in working with qanats, beginning at Sijilmasa, Morocco, with further fieldwork and research in over 20 countries. He draws on a wide range of sources such as governmental publications, archival materials including maps, aerial and satellite imagery, field notes, unpublished material, and personal interviews with local people and fellow scholars, to create the most complete, detailed narrative of the qanat. Lightfoot’s work also effortlessly bridges multiple subjects such as anthropology, archaeology, history, geography, geology, and hydrology, emphasizing the interdisciplinarity of qanat research. Despite the subject’s breadth, Lightfoot considers every detail.
The subject matter is technical, specialized, data-heavy, and sometimes assumes the reader’s familiarity with hydrological terminology. Despite this, Lightfoot’s writing is accessible and enhanced by personal anecdotes that reflect his decades-long passion for the qanat. Well-selected photographs, well-made maps, and original illustrations complement the text. Because the book aims to be comprehensive on a global scale, some minutiae in specific regions may be overlooked. However, the book is comprehensive and detailed enough to gratify scholars seeking information for research, whilst being clearly written and illustrated with engaging visuals to hold the attention of the interested layperson.
This book should be considered Lightfoot’s magnum opus. It is the most complete, global picture of the qanat to date and should be an essential reference work for the start of any research into qanats. Lightfoot establishes that the qanat is not just a feat of hydrological engineering, but also part of the enduring story of human co-operation and adaptation to harsh, arid environments. Lightfoot’s Qanat: Stream of Wells ultimately reminds us that the past often holds solutions to present-day dilemmas.
