1st Edition
Qanats and Historic Structures in Persia Potential Modern Applications
Qanats and Historic Structures in Persia presents the early history of water science and includes the advanced knowledge held by Persians regarding the hydrologic cycle in general and groundwater flow in particular. It explains how the Persians understood the sources of rivers, streams, springs, and groundwater, at least seven centuries before it was known to western scholars, and how their use of underground water tunnels allowed them to transform deserts into centers of civilization and food production for thousands of years. It also presents an overview of ancient canals, weir bridges, dams, water storage structures, and water dividers constructed to supply water for irrigation and domestic needs.
- Presents numerous examples of how qanats are used throughout the world, including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
- Includes descriptions and photographs of historic structures, some of which are still operational after hundreds of years.
- Written in an accessible and informative way, the book contains neither equations nor rigorous technical material.
- Examines the renowned scholars of the late ninth through twelfth centuries, namely the Persian Golden Era.
Biography
Hormoz Pazwash, PhD, earned his BSCE with the highest honor among the entire graduating class of 1963 from Tehran University. He continued his graduate studies under the supervision of the late Dr. Ven Te Chow at the University of Illinois, in Urbana‑Champaign, earning an MS and PhD in civil engineering. In 1970, he joined the Faculty of Engineering at Tehran University, and in the next seven years, held the positions of assistant professor, associate professor, and chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering. His other academic appointments have included visiting professorships at Akron in Ohio (1978–79) and an associate professorship at Northeastern University in Boston (1982–85). He has also served as an adjunct professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Dr. Pazwash has received various academic awards, including a fellowship at Tehran University and a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been engaged in engineering practice since 1986, and he retired in 2021.
Dr. Pazwash is the author of some 60 papers and five books, including Urban Storm Water Management, 2nd Edition (2016), and also a chapter in the Encyclopedia of Environmental Management (2014). He is a lifetime member and Fellow of the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) and a Diplomat of AAWRE (Academy of American of Water Resources Engineers), D.WRE.
