Karizes and current prospects for their use in Kazakhstan.
A.K. Sultanbekova*1, A.V. Mitusov2, A. Azami3, J.M. Sagintayev4
1 Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary NC AO, Imagery Processing Unit, 89 Turan Ave., Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan;
2 Kazakhstan-German University, 111 Pushkin Str., Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan;
3 National Coordinator of Afghanistan Youth for Water, Water Resource Centre, Jamal Mina, Kabul, 1001, Afghanistan;
4 Environment and Resource Efficiency Cluster (EREC), Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Ave., Nur Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan.
* Corresponding author: aigerims10.29@gmail.com
A.V. Mitusov: a_mitusov@mail.ru; A. Azami: abdullah.azami123@gmail.com; J.M. Sagintayev: zhanay.sagintayev@nu.edu.kz.
https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJWR/2021-R1.v7-2/181-198.engResearch paper
Abstract
The kariz (karez, qanat) represent one of the ancient water supply systems in arid zones. Natural collection of groundwater coming down from the mountains and its transportation to irrigated fields is the main advantage of the kariz systems. This article aims to introduce into the community of Central Asian hydrologists, hydrogeologists, and farmers the idea of the possibility of applying the kariz technologies and constructing them based on the experiences of neighboring countries and the ancient settlement of Sauran (Turkestan Region, Kazakhstan). Satellite imagery allowed identifying 3 (three) karizes around Sauran. The subsequent geomorphological analyses of the digital elevation model was carried out using the specialized ECO GIS-software. Further on, the maximum catchment areas (MCA) of mother wells (kariz beginning) were calculated. As the result, it was revealed that the target karizes themselves were located in the areas with low MCA. However, the mother wells were located in close proximity to the areas with high MCAs. 300 hectares was enough to collect groundwater to feed the entire irrigation system in ancient times. Modern examples from neighboring countries and the archaeological sites on the territory of Kazakhstan prove the possibility of using the kariz technology in current conditions. The introduction of this practice will allow introducing the foothill land in Southern Kazakhstan into agricultural circulation, as well as eliminating water losses due to evaporation during storage and transportation.
Download the article (rus)For citation: Sultanbekova, A. K., Mitusov, A. V, Azami, A., & Sagintayev, J. M. (2021). Karizes and Current Prospects for Their Use in Kazakhstan. Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting, 7(2), 181–198. https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJWR/2021-R1.v7-2/181-198.eng
References
Abbasnejad, A., Abbasnejad, B., Derakhshani, R. & Sarapardeh, A.H. (2016). Qanat hazard in Iranian urban areas: explanation and remedies. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(19), p. 1306 (doi: 10.1007/s12665-016-6067-6).
Abuseitova, M.Kh. (1975). Juvaini about the Otrar Disaster (Dzhuvajni ob «Otrarskoj katastrofe»). Voprosy istorii, KazSU, 7, pp. 111-113 [in Russian].
Academic Writing YouTube Channel (accessed: February 17, 2020). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4gmv525RjgB2RNqX3QBIQg.
Alemohammad, S.H. & Gharari, S. (2017). Qanat: An ancient invention for water management in Iran. In Proceedings of Water History Conference, Delft, Netherlands
Anderson, I.M. (1993). Rehabilitation of informal irrigation systems in Afghanistan. Design Manual. Rome: FAO.
Archaeological Survey LLP (2020). Sauran. Available at: https://www.archeology.kz/ru/ 1026-sauran.html.
Avni, G. (2018). Early Islamic irrigated farmsteads and the spread of qanats in Eurasia. Water History, 10(4), pp. 313-338.
Beaumont, P. (1971). Qanat Systems in Iran. International Association of Scientific Hydrology. Bulletin, 16 1), pp. 39-50 (https://doi.org/10.1080/026266671094930310).
Burlibayev, M. (2020). Why they are demolishing reservoirs in the USA, but building new ones in Kazakhstan? (Pochemu v SShA snosjat vodohranilishha, a v Kazahstane – strojat novye?) (accessed: December 19, 2020). Available at: https://informburo.kz/mneniya/malik-burlibaev/pochemu-v-ssha-snosyat-vodohranilishcha-a-v-kazahstane-stroyat-novye.html .
English, P.W. (1998). Qanats and Lifeworlds in Iranian Plateau villages. Transformations of Middle Eastern Natural Environments: Legacies end Lessons. Bulletin, 103, pp. 187-205.
Fattahi, M. (2015). OSL dating of the Miam Qanat (KĀRIZ) system in NE Iran. Journal of Archaeological Science, 59, pp. 54-63 .
Geoarcheology Laboratory (2021). Projects. Available at: http://www.lgakz.org/Work/ Work.html .
Gerrard, C. & Gutiérrez, A. (2018). The qanat in Spain: archaeology and environment. Water Management in Ancient Civilizations. Berking J. (Ed.) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, pp. 197-226 .
Google Earth (n.d.). Overview. Google Earth. Retrieved: August 9, 2020 from https://earth.google.com.
Groshev, V.A. (1996). Ancient irrigation in southern Kazakhstan (Drevnjaja irrigacija juga Kazahstana). Almaty: Gylym, pp. 180-189 [in Russian].
Grum-Grzhimailo, G.E. (1896). Description of a trip to Western China. Along the Eastern Tien-Shan (Opisanie puteshestvija v Zapadnyj Kitaj. Vdol’ Vostochnogo Tjan’-Shanja). In St. Petersburg: Journal of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (Izdanie Imperatorskogo russkogo geograficheskogo obshhestva), Book 1, 547 p. Available at: https://www.prlib.ru/item/688109#v=d&z=2&n=5&i=9110445_doc1.tiff&y=341&x=392.5 [in Russian] .
Hussain, I., Abu-Rizaiza, O.S., Habib, M.A.A. & Ashfaq, M. (2008). Revitalizing a traditional dryland water supply system: the karezes in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Water International, 33(3), pp. 333-349 (https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060802255890).
Imazhanov, N., Beisenbayeva, L. (2002). Geometry of the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassavi (on design methods) (Geometrija mavzoleja Hodzha Ahmeda Jasavi (o metodah proektirovanija)). News of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, NAS of Kazakhstan. Social Studies Series, 1, p. 269 [in Russian].
Mächtle, B., Hecht, S., Manke, N., Kromer, B., Lindauer, S., Li, C.-S., Li, Y., Wang, X., Bubenzer, O. (2019). The age and origin of Karez systems of Silk Road oases around Turpan, Xinjiang, PR of China. In Socio-Environmental Dynamics along the Historical Silk Road, Springer, Cham, pp. 359-378.
Macpherson, G.L., Johnson, W.C. & Liu, H. (2017). Viability of karezes (ancient water supply systems in Afghanistan) in a changing world. Applied Water Science, 7(4), pp. 1689-1710.
Martínez-Santos, P. & Martínez-Alfaro, P.E. (2014). A priori mapping of historical water-supply galleries based on archive records and sparse material remains. An application to the Amaniel qanat (Madrid, Spain). Journal of Cultural Heritage, 15(6), pp. 656-664.
Megdiche-Kharrat, F., Ragala, R. & Moussa, M. (2019). Promoting a sustainable traditional technique of aquifer water acquisition common to arid lands: a case study of Ghassem Abad Qanat in Yazd Province (Iran). Water Supply, 19(2), pp. 527-535.
Mustafa, D. & Qazi, M.U. (2007). Transition from karez to tubewell irrigation: development, modernization, and social capital in Balochistan, Pakistan. World Development, 35(10), pp. 1796-1813. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2007.06.002.
National Encyclopedia of Kazakhstan (2004). Almaty: Main Edition “Qazaq Entsiklopediasy”, I .
Paani Foundation (2020). Transforming rural ecology and the rural economy. Available at: https://www.paanifoundation.in/samruddh-gaon/about-the-spardha/ .
Sala, R., Deom, J.-M. (2006). 235 Karizes of Sauran Region (235 kjarizov regiona Sauran). Geography of Kazakhstan: content, issues, prospects: materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference (April, 20-22), Almaty, pp. 342-361 [in Russian].
Sala, R. (2008). Underground Water Galleries in Middle East and Central Asia: survey of historical documents and archaeological studies. Laboratory of Geoarchaeology, Institute of Geological Sciences, Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan.
Sala, R., Deom, J.-M. & Clarke, D. (2010). The karez of the Sauran region of Central Asia. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, 10(4), pp. 656-663 (doi:10.2166/ws.2010.116) .
Shary, P.A., Sharaya, L.S. & Mitusov, A.V. (2002). Fundamental quantitative methods of land surface analysis. Geoderma, 107(1-2), pp. 1-32 . https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(01)00136-7.
Smagulov, E. A. (2003). Karizes of the Turkestan Oasis (Kjarizy Turkestanskogo oazisa). News of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, NAS of Kazakhstan. Social Sciences Series, 1, pp. 172-190 [in Russian].
Smagulov, E. A. (2010). Ancient Sauran (Drevnij Sauran). Almaty: ABDI Company [in Russian].
Summary of historical and cultural monuments of Kazakhstan. South Kazakhstan Region (Svod pamjatnikov istorii i kul’tury Kazahstana. Juzhno-Kazahstanskaja oblast’) (1994). Almaty: Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan [in Russian].
Taghavi-Jeloudar, M., Han, M., Davoudi, M. & Kim, M. (2013). Review of ancient wisdom of Qanat, and suggestions for future water management. Environmental Engineering Research, 18(2), pp. 57-63. https://doi.org/10.4491/eer.2013.18.2.057.
Tuyakbayev, M.K. (2002). Late medieval cities of the Turkestan oasis (Pozdnesrednevekovye goroda Turkestanskogo oazisa). News of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, NAS of Kazakhstan. Social Sciences Series, 1, p. 184 [in Russian].
U.S. Geological Survey (2018). USGS EROS Archive – Digital Elevation – Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) (accessed: June 18, 2018). Available at: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/usgs-eros-archive-digital-elevation-shuttle-radar-topography-mission-srtm?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.
Vazifi, M. (XV century). Incredible events (Neverojatnye sobytija). In V.V. Bartold (1965) Writings (Sochinenija), III, Moscow: Science, pp. 225-226 [in Russian].
Wilkinson, T.J., Boucharlat, R., Ertsen, M.W., Gillmore, G., Kennet, D., Magee, P., Rezakhani, K. & De Schacht, T. (2012). From human niche construction to imperial power: long-term trends in ancient Iranian water systems. Water History, 4(2), pp. 155-176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-012-0056-9.
Yapiyev, V., Samarkhanov, K., Tulegenova, N., Jumassultanova, S., Verhoef, A., Saidaliyeva, Z., Umirov, N., Sagintayev, Z. & Namazbayeva, A. (2019). Estimation of water storage changes in small endorheic lakes in Northern Kazakhstan. Journal of Arid Environments, 160, pp. 42-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2018.09.008.