A Review on the History of Traditional Water Management Systems in Iran

In the course of history throughout Iran, wherever the farm land has needed to be irrigated, there have been water management and division systems. For the major water resources such as rivers, central governments used to take control of the water management systems, whereas the management of minor resources such as qanats had nothing to do with the state and were largely managed by private individuals, especially the local landlords. The water management systems have always played an important role in Iranian civilizations, and according to some thinkers many economic and political structures in Iran have historical roots in these systems. This paper takes up the importance of water management systems in society and governments.

Keywords:

Water management , hydraulic civilization , water history , irrigation