Salt Deserts of Iran
Sayed Shukrallah (29yo) and Ahmad Zareh (55yo) are well paid (60; 000 rials/day); moqhani; or qanat maintenance men; who work in teams and trade off tasks; with one on top to work the access winch while the other digs down below.; They started working in the qanats when they were boys of 14 and 10 years old respectively.; Using gas lamps they pull fallen debris and accumulating minerals from the subterranean canal.; The accumulating minerals indicate it’s not the best water for drinking; and if the mineralization is not removed regularly it will close up.; Inside the qanat the water was warm and the air humid; a welcome relief to the cold dry winter wind on the surface.; This qanat was parallel to the Mesr/Yaxd highway and is over 60Km long; one of the longest in the country. Each section must be cleaned out every 3-5 years; meaning almost continuous maintenance.; A piece of pottery found in this system was dated by Carbon 14 to be 2; 400 years old; providing a minimum age for the qanat.
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- ©2003 George Steinmetz
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- Contained in galleries