Overview

The archaeology of irrigation technology and water management encompasses a wide range of structures – subterranean tunnels (qanāts, falaj, foggara, ghayl etc.), reservoirs, cisterns, canals, aqueducts, tanks, fountains, water mills, wells, dams, barrages - in a variety of contexts - mountains, deserts, forests, agricultural, horticultural, urban, village, military, riverine, estuarine, coastal, lacustrine – and over a long time period from the seventh through to nineteenth centuries. However, in many areas the archaeology of these facilities remains little explored. This volume begins to rectify this through a variety of case studies examining the diverse ways that past populations have developed hydraulic infrastructure for moving and managing water across the Islamic World. It also considers how past human ingenuity in developing hydraulic infrastructure, now often fallen into disrepair and dis-use, could hold lessons for the present and offer solutions for the future as humanity faces the challenges of environmental and climate change.

Full Product Details

Author:   Timothy Insoll (Al-Qasimi Professor of African and Islamic Archaeology, University of Exeter) ,  Rachel Maclean (Honorary Research Fellow, University of Exeter) ,  Salman Almahari
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Archaeology
Weight:   1.150kg
ISBN:  

9781805831099

ISBN 10:   1805831097
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   18 September 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Archaeology of Irrigation Technology and Water Management in the Islamic World. An Introduction – Timothy Insoll, Rachel MacLean and Salman Almahari Chapter 2. The Archaeology of Water in Bahrain in the Islamic Period – Timothy Insoll, Rachel MacLean and Salman Almahari Chapter 3. Archaeology of Water in Islamic Southern Arabia – Michael J. Harrower and Amir Zaribaf Chapter 4. Water Management at Qurḥ/al-Mabiyat (North-West Arabia): Between the Exploitation of Natural Resources and the Mitigation of Risks – Friedrich W. Weigel, Anna Nilges, Patrick Keilholz and Arnulf Hausleiter Chapter 5. Traditional Irrigation Systems in al-Aflaj Governorate, Saudi Arabia – Ajab Al-Otibi Chapter 6. Old Water Structures in the Islamic City of al-Rabadha on the Hajj Road from Kufa to Makkah – Saad Abdulaziz Al-Rashid Chapter 7. Irrigation Systems in the Iraqi Western Desert: Abu Jir Springs Line as a Case Study – Jaafar Jotheri, Rajwan Al-Mayali, Ali Al-Gburi, Louise Rayne, Abdulameer Al-Gabri, Ammar Haddad and Mustafa Al-Hamzah Chapter 8. Oasis Construction on Landscape Scale: How Ancient Runoff Irrigation in the Southern Levant Created Fertile Agricultural Terrace Soils – Bernhard Lucke Chapter 9. Beyond the Silk Roads Trade: Irrigated Agriculture in the Middle Zeravshan Valley, Samarkand Oasis (Uzbekistan) – Simone Mantellini Chapter 10. The Archaeology of Water Management on the Swahili Coast of East Africa – Monika Baumanova Chapter 11. Building Landscapes with Water in al-Andalus. Historical Irrigation Systems as Cultural Heritage and Examples of Sustainability and Resilience – José María Martín Civantos Chapter 12. Water Management and Irrigation Systems in Islamic Sicily and Beyond – Angelo Castrorao Barba Chapter 13. Interpretational Correlation between the Hydrological Infrastructure and Water Architecture in Islamic Alexandria within a Contemporary Urban Context – Mohamed Soliman Chapter 14. The Potential of Istanbul’s Water Heritage for Current and Future Water-Related Challenges – Mariëtte Verhoeven

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Author Information

Professor Timothy Insoll OBE is a Fellow of the British Academy and Al-Qasimi Professor of African and Islamic Archaeology in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. Dr Rachel MacLean is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, and has worked on the archaeology of Bahrain for 25 years. Dr Salman Almahari is Director-General of Archaeology at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and is a leading specialist in the archaeology and heritage of Bahrain and the Gulf.

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