Old water channels still secure Oman's water supply today

Oman has a large, natural facility for the extraction of fresh water, the Hadjar Mountains. The air rises on its flanks and the resulting clouds rain down over the mountains, filling the water table.

Over 1500 years ago, people began to utilise this constantly renewing groundwater resource in the mountains. To this end, they created a dense network of over 4,000 water channels in the mountains of northern Oman, the Faladj system. These old canals were extensively rehabilitated in the 1980s and still ensure the most reliable supply of fresh water in many oases today. Some of these Afladj have now been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are the canals of Birkat Al Mawz, Rostaq, Izki, Jaylah and the most famous of them, the Falaj Daris in Nizwa.

There are three main types of aflaj: Dawoodi - underground canals, Ghaili - surface canals and Aini - canals that draw water directly from springs.