Qanat
Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
A qanat is an underground canal that carries water to farms in the dry lands of Iran. Qanats needed regular cleaning and repair. The Mongol conquests of the 13th century disrupted that work, so the qanats fell into ruin and farmland turned to desert. This shows that the damage from conquest lasted long after the killing stopped.
Example
In Khurasan, in eastern Iran, the qanats were not looked after once the Mongols invaded. The desert spread over the land, and parts of Khurasan never recovered.
Don't confuse with
- Karez: another name for the same kind of underground channel, used in places like Afghanistan. It is the same technique under a different regional name, not a different system.