The Qanat System and the Formation Process of Yazd, Iran

This research has analysed the formation process of Yazd, Iran, and its correlation with the Qanat system. In arid areas where agriculture depends on irrigation, water shortage was one of the main motivations for many innovations, such as the underground watercourse, referred to as the Qanat system. This system played an important role in maintaining and developing civilization on the Iranian plateau (Bouzarjomehri, and Khatami, 2018). In Yazd, there exist a total of twenty-two Qanats, with only two among them presently retaining water, the Zarch Qanat and the Firozabad Qanat (Arse Architectural and Urban Consulting Engineers, 2007). This research has directed a morphological analysis of Yazd. The theoretical approach of this study, following Caniggia's methodology, has achieved a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between the urban components of the city by reconstructing the formation process throughout its history (Caniggia, and Maffei, 2001). This study has analysed the correlations between Yazd's urban configuration and the Qanat system across three distinct scales, the territorial scale, urban scale, and urban fabric scale. The main aim of the research is to recognize the impacts of the Qanat system on the formation process, and urban tissue of the city. This Study has exposed the significant attributes of the Qanat system and illuminated their complex interaction with the formation process of Yazd, Iran.