Technology and Religion The Qanat underground irrigation system Mohammad Reza Balali & Jozef Keulartz Introduction In this paper, we will focus on the Qanat underground irrigation system that has been developed 3,000 years ago in ancient Iran (Persia). The Qanat system is one of the most ecologically balanced water recovery methods available for arid regions. Because a Qanat relies entirely on passive tapping of the water table by gravity it does not upset the natural water balance. The rise and dispersal of the Islam is mirrored in the ascent of ‘the Empire of Qanats’ in the Old World – from the Iberian Peninsula to central Asia. But around the middle of the previous century ‘the Age of Qanats’ came to an end. One cause was the introduction and widespread use of the pumped tube well. Electric and diesel-pumped wells offer advantages over Qanat irrigation by allowing water to be brought to the surface on command, but over- pumping has caused water tables to fall, aquifers to be depleted and Qanats to be abandoned at an accelerating pace. In addition to the (mostly privately owned and constructed) wells the public sector is engaged in the construction of many large-scale dams. The new water resources management regime of deep wells and large dams is more in tune with a mechanistic worldview than with the traditional religious framework. These modern technologies have drastically altered the public perception and appreciation of water, which is now seen as a sheer endless resource. In our paper we will try to answer the question if it is possible to counterbalance this mechanistic worldview and the undervaluation of water due to the influence of modern water supply technologies with the help of Islam and Islamic principles. The Qanat system – a brief history In arid and semi-arid regions water scarcity has been one of the main challenges confronting its inhabitants from ancient times. Darius’ (549-486/485BC) famous prayer – ‘God protect this country from foe, drought and falsehood’ - confirms the importance of water. By addressing drought as equal to war and dishonesty it gave people a strong motivation to deal with the problem of water scarcity. Fig.1 Darius' prayer: ‘God protect this country from foe, drought and falsehood.’ The Qanat irrigation system can be considered as the oldest achievement of human engineering to address this problem. The Qanat system consists of underground channels that convey water from aquifers in highlands to the surface at lower levels. Qanats exploit the natural gradient of the land to transport the water underground to the agricultural areas below. 1