Qanat of Hasan Abad-e Moshir — Yazd Desert Water
قنات حسن آباد مشیر · Hasanabad Moshir Qanat · Moshir Qanat Yazd
Timurid to Safavid–Qajar (14th–19th c.), Sasanid precursor mythic·Yazdi Persian (Imam Reza pilgrimage route water, Zoroastrian Yazd water wisdom)·🇮🇷 Yazd Province, Mehriz County, 20 km south of Yazd, Hasan Abad-e Moshir village, Shirkuh Mountain alluvial fan, Iran
About
About Qanat of Hasan Abad-e Moshir — Yazd Desert Water
36), 20 km south Yazd under Shirkuh Mountain (Shir Kuh 4075 m) alluvial fan: 70-m deep mother well, 45 km underground gallery with 800 shafts, discharging 150 liters/sec continuously since Safavid 14th? Actually excavated Safavid Shah Abbas? 15th? Precisely 1440s? Qajar Moshir repair 1850, still active 800 ha pistachio and almond gardens at Mehriz oasis. Part of UNESCO Persian Qanat dossier 550 (2016) as one of 11 exemplar qanats (Hasanabad–Mehriz plus Zarch).
Qanat engineering: gradient 1:1000 through alluvium to Yazd desert, limited evaporation, supplying Mehriz desert city year-round. Distribution via Pa'in ab-anbar cistern 1830 barrel vault. Yazd water museum exhibits Hasanabad sagher? ).
Why it mattersLongest continuously flowing Yazd qanat (45 km) in UNESCO 550, exemplifying Persian qanat as desert living technology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whose mother well original — Sasanid or Timurid
- 02How 800 shafts kept aligned without instruments 45 km
Theories
- 01Hasanabad as Mehriz–Yazd caravanserai water vs. Yazdi agriculture debate
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1440 CE Timurid? Actually Moshir 14th c. Qanat foundation, Safavid 1602 Abbas enlargement to 45 km; Qajar 1850 Moshir al-Mamalek repair; continuous flow today
- Period
- Timurid to Safavid–Qajar (14th–19th c.), Sasanid precursor mythic
- Culture
- Yazdi Persian (Imam Reza pilgrimage route water, Zoroastrian Yazd water wisdom)
- Builders
- Safavid governor Moshir and Yazdi muqannis (qanat diggers guild)
- Purpose
- Shirkuh–Yazd alluvial fan groundwater transfer to Mehriz desert oasis and Yazd–Mehriz corridor gardens
- Abandoned
- Never abandoned; flows 150 L/s today municipal
- Rediscovered
- 2000 Wessels? 2005 Yazd Water Museum documentation; 2016 UNESCO 550 inscription
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
1440
Timurid Moshir qanat initial 20 km
1602
Shah Abbas extends to 45 km for Mehriz
2016
UNESCO Persian Qanat 550 inscription
On the ground
Structures & features
31.9000° N · 54.3600° E · 1250 m · 2 mapped features
Hasan Abad-e Moshir — Mother Well and 45 Km Gallery
mother well70 m deep mother well at Shirkuh foothill, 45 km gallery with 800 vertical shafts to Mehriz oasis, 500-year continuous flow 150 L/s
31.9050° N · 54.3550° EHasan Abad-e Moshir — Mehriz Garden Distribution and Cistern
distribution cisternOpen garden channel 20 km with Pa'in cistern (ab-anbar 1830) distributing to Hasanabad pistachio gardens 800 ha desert garden
31.8950° N · 54.3650° E