Qanat
device · 800 BC · Ancient world
An underground channel that collects groundwater by gravity.
What it is made of
- Mother well shaft — has part. A vertical shaft down to the aquifer.
- Underground water tunnel — has part. A gently sloping tunnel through which water flows to the fields.
- Row of vertical access shafts — has part. A chain of shafts for digging and ventilation.
Principles and materials it uses
- Gravity flow — uses. Water flows by gravity.
- Clay — is made of. Weak sections of a qanat were reinforced with clay rings.
Things built in a similar way
- Aqueduct — works like. An underground channel instead of an overground one.