Author(s)

M. Sadrzadeh & G. Badalians Gholikandi

Abstract

Iran’s geographical location and the low availability of water resources are the reasons for water receiving a special sanctum. Water has a mythic root in Iranian culture that has been used in tales and stories. The first official and documented knowledge of irrigation, water sharing and its use in ancient Iran dates back more than five thousand years. Ancient structures and customs that have been deeply rooted in Iran’s history can still be found in several parts of the country. In this research, special customs such as invokes for the start of or the end of rain (sun invoke), as well as flood irrigation and constructed structures over the last 2500 years, were surveyed in central parts of Iran. In regard to water distribution systems and their importance in dry and semi-dry areas, the results of irrigation system of ancient Drakan city and its countryside in Fars province of 10-13 A.D. were studied. One of the conventional water resources management systems in ancient Iran was the water intake from saline rivers in specific seasons of the year, and several weirs, intakes and channels were constructed. In this study, survey results of the Abshour River that was located beside Fadami plain, Darab, on today’s border of Fars and Hormozgan provinces, and constructed structures for the irrigation of local plains 1300–1500 years ago are given. Keywords: water, ancient Iran, irrigation, Fars, Drakan. 1 Introduction Iran’s geographical location and low available water resources have caused Iranians to search widely for water, which also has had a special value and

Keywords

water, ancient Iran, irrigation, Fars, Drakan