TEHRAN–Locals in Abarkuh have recently discovered an ancient cistern and traditional water supply system situated near a subterranean chamber in the central Iranian town.

The subterranean settlement was found last November after cultural heritage experts followed traces they had previously discovered within some small stone rooms in a historical core of the town, a local tourism official said on Sunday.

This cistern is in the form of a hand-carved chamber situated at a depth lower than a water channel, the official explained.

Locally named an Ab-Anbar, such underground reservoirs are part of the iconic qanat systems, which rely on snow-fed streams flowing down from surrounding mountains. For thousands of years, qanat systems have supplied water to agricultural and permanent settlements in arid regions of Iran, tapping alluvial aquifers at the heads of valleys and conducting the water along underground tunnels by gravity, often over many kilometers.

The concept of “Persian Qanat” was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2016, representing a selection of eleven aqueducts across Iran. Qanats, according to UNESCO, provide exceptional testimony to cultural traditions and civilizations in desert areas with an arid climate.

AM