Al Aflaj

 

Agriculture had and still represents the main source for living and having decent life in Al Ain City where the people in the area succeeded in applying their thoughts with what is available in the environment in order to provide the water needed for irrigating their harvest. Hence, in this area, man had invented the Aflaj system to distribute water in a fair manner among houses and agricultural areas. 

The word “Falaj” means division, consideration and arrangement. It also means the agricultural land or running water (Figure 3 and 4) ⁽¹⁾  and conventionally, the term Falaj is known as the water stream that transports the underground water to the surface ⁽²⁾ . In the local accent, Falaj is called (falai) and the plural is (aflaj), meaning the water stream or running spring ⁽³⁾.

The falaj is divided into the following parts: Um Al Falaj (mother of falaj), the well of the underground water from which water is pumped to the surface; Al Thiqab (hole), represents a vertical hole through which a worker enters to the runway of the falaj for cleaning and maintenance (Figure 5) and the surface channels or pillars from which the water branches to the agricultural lands. The falaj water spreads when it reaches the surface into several branches called pillars and the singular is called “Amed” (supporter), narrow walls made from the available materials such as stones that are scrubbed by peels of the palm locks of leafs and then crushed until it becomes like powder  (Figure 6) ⁽⁴⁾.

In the past the farmers were not able to make full Amed so they used to make a cover for every two meters with an opening on the right and another one on the left called “spread” (Figure 7)⁽⁵⁾.

 

There are Aflaj systems similar to water channels or water streams in several countries in the world particularly those similar to the “Dawoeya” aflaj in the Arab Gulf. Every country has its own name for such system. There are aflaj systems in Iran, China, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Cypress, North Africa, Spain and America ⁽⁶⁾. The aflaj systems are also available in Afghanistan, Sahara, Morocco and Japan ⁽⁷⁾. Table 1 shows the names of falaj that differ from one place to the other.

 

 

Country	Name
Afghanistan	Karpaz
Latin America	Galrias, Pokyo
Spain	Galrias, Miret
Iran	Kanat
Italy	Angrotato (single)
	Angrotati (plural
Algeria	Fogora
Canary Islands	Galrias, Miret
Arab Gulf	Falaj (single)
	Aflaj (plural)
Libya	Fogora
Syria	Roman Channel
China	Kajing, Karpaz
Morocco	Katara, Ratara
Korea	Ma-Nan-Po
Japan	Mambo-Mabo
Yemen	Feledi, Gail, Metan

 

Al Aflaj are distinguished by that they are similar in organization and administration ⁽¹⁰⁾ but they may differ in width, depth, type of flowing water, composition, content and nature of land on which the water runs. This difference may be attributed to the availability of water in the subsurface layers carrying the water and the quantities of water that leaked into the ground ⁽¹¹⁾.

In addition, the Aflaj are characterized with the continuity of water flow all over the day and year to the farms without cost or human effort after construction and this gives economical return that helps in the division and distribution of shares of participants and owners ⁽¹²⁾ .

In the United Arab Emirates, the Aflaj are divided into three main types namely: the Ghailian, the Dawoedi or Addiya and the Ainiya or Hadawiya (Figure 8, 9, 10). The surface waters running at the tops of valleys are the water source of a Ghailian falaj such as Al Haili and this type of Aflaj is given this name because they are seasonal aflaj connected with the fall of rain.

 

The water source of the Dawoedi falaj is the underground shallow reserve or what is known as Um Al Falaj such as the aflaj of Mizyed, Dawoedi, Buraimi and Sara. The Dawoedi Falaj is characterized by that its water flows continuously throughout the year as they are not affected by rainfall and the Dawoedi aflaj has branches or tributaries that pour in it for feeding the agriculture lands ⁽¹³⁾. Natural springs represent the water source for the Ainy falaj such as Buskhana falaj ⁽¹⁴⁾.

 

2. Al Sulaimi, 1997

3. Al Hammouz and others, 2008

4.Interview with Saeed Juma Fahd, 2006

5. Al Ain Municipality, Sultan Al Kuwaiti, 2012

6. Cressey, 1958

7. Al-Ghafri et al., 2000

8. INPIM, 2006

9. Al Ghafri et al., 2000

10. ibid

11. Al Bahri, 2007

12.  Al Aidaros, 1992

13. ibid

14.  Al Ghafri, 2005

 

Al falaj is an artificial channel of which width is 2-4 foot and the underground water gathers in it by penetration and then slope down to the end of the channel. Along these channels, openings are dug where the distance separating each one from the other according to the available quantity of water (Figure 11). 

 

Upon digging these openings, it is observed that they are from down and upwards and this is called Al Thiqab. These channels extend along the distance for which the water is intended to be transported and they can be easily identified by the mark made above them and that look like hills as shown in Figure 12. From this opening, the workers come down to maintain and clean the runway of the tunnel and remove the sludge stuck in it or existing sands (Figure 13). In additions, these Thiqab are used as windows that allow the entry of air for the ventilation of the tunnel’s runway and usually, the distance between one Thaqba and the other is about twenty meters depending on the extent of down slope of land and the type of materials that the diggers face during digging. The falaj branches out when it reaches the surface into courses or pillars that in their turn separate into secondary pillars that serve to facilitate the arrival of water to the farms. The areas close to the mountain base are considered the most appropriate for digging the falaj ⁽¹⁵⁾.

 

Al Awamir tribe is one of the tribes that are famous in the field of construction of aflaj due to their excellent care in building and maintaining them and their ability to work hardly under conditions of high temperatures and humidity. There was big demand for their services at that time as they built or expanded about 80% of the aflaj in Al Ain and Oman. Most of digging works take place in the strong solid rocks and therefore Al Awamir are distinguished from other tribes and individuals in the area by carrying out this hard work that requires using the hammer and chisel and due to the risks that the worker faces during digging such as the presence of poisonous snakes or falling rocks or lack of sufficient lighting. Al Awamir have high ability and sufficiency in knowledge of underground springs that enables them increase the water running to the aflaj as they are able to identify the places where underground water is pooling. It is worth mentioning that the people do not interfere in the affairs and work of Al Awamir. In addition, Al Awamir do not work for daily wages as they have their own way in determining the expenses of the falaj depending on the type of the cross section of digging, its depth and quality of rocks and degree of solidity ⁽¹⁶⁾.

 

 

The aflaj system in the United Arab Emirates and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula is considered a successful social and economic system and our forefathers settled down near the sources of water ⁽¹⁷⁾. This homogeneous social system depends on the fair distribution of water among all members of the society. Fairness in distribution of water had helped in building a bonded society in the region and also helped in the development of craft and agricultural skills among individuals. Among the characteristics of the aflaj system is that it led to planting the spirit of cooperation between individuals and led also to the provision of financial source for families. The aflaj system also helped in the establishment of a system to settle difference and disputes between the individuals related to water shares and the obligatory maintenance of the aflaj by the establishment of an integrated administrative system that runs the falaj.

 

In addition, the falaj represents a social establishment with an administrative and organizational structure to run the affairs of the establishment where the falaj is managed by the agent (manager) or as called “Abul Falaj” ⁽¹⁸⁾. In addition, the falaj system has a collector or book keeper or an accountant as known today, the monitor or assistant and workers or Baydir. There are two monitors one of whom takes care of subsurface service of the falaj such as the maintenance of the tunnel or the Thuqba and the other monitor takes care of the surface service and carries out the maintenance of the surface aflaj (Figure 14). Administrative structures are made for large aflaj, but the small ones, they may be run by just one man ^{(19) (20) (21)}.

 

The agent is considered as the executive manager of the falaj while the monitor inspects the wells and irrigation timings and also, he informs landlords of their shares and determines the timings of circulation of water. As for the collector, he is responsible for the registration of all financial affairs of the falaj.

 

 

 

 

 

Al Aflaj water is considered the main source for decent living as the water running in the channels of surface aflaj are used for human consumption as they were distributed among the houses and then the distribution continues to the areas of permanent agriculture activity for irrigation (Figure 15). Most of aflaj water is used for drinking and what remains is taken to mosques and other applications and then to washing areas . This distribution helped the farmers in saving quantities of water for emergency and for drought periods ⁽²³⁾.

 

In the past water was divided and distributed by the monitor of the falaj by Al Najm or Athar and the division takes place from the time of sunrise until sunset and it is called “Badah” and from the sunset to sunrise and it is also called “Badah”. The Badah is divided into four quarters and it is called spring and a spring is divided into six parts. Some Arabs had a share of water sufficient to irrigate their farms while others do not find what is sufficient to irrigate his plants so he irrigates the same from Al Masharie. Al Masharie is four Badat. The rent of a single Badah is AED 48 and the rent of spring is AED 12 and each one sixth is rented for Two Dirham. The monitor of the falaj collects the rent and uses the same for cleaning the falaj and Al Khawada ⁽²⁴⁾ .

 

 

 

25. Al Ain Municipality, interview with Sultan Al Kuwaiti, 2012 

26. ibid

27. Al Hammouz and others, 2008

28. Al Ain Municipality, interview with Sultan Al Kuwaiti, 2012 

 

 

 

Al aflaj spread in Al Ain City (AKA City of Oases) (Figure 20) and since aflaj are spreading through Al Ain City it was called the City of the Seven Aflaj. The main aflaj are: Al Aini, Al Dawoedi, Al Muatarid, Al Muwaijee, Al Jimi, Al Qattara and Al Hili. Accordingly, Al Ain City is the city that includes the large number of aflaj in the United Arab Emirates. The existence of aflaj was associated with the oasis of Al Ain because the aflaj supply the oasis with water. Al Aini and Al Dawoedi aflaj feed Al Ain Oasis while the oasis of Al Muatarid, Al Muwaijee, Al Jahili, Al Jimi, Al Qattara and Al Hili are supplied by the aflaj of Al Muatarid, Al Muwaijee, Al Jahili, Al Jimi, Al Qattara and Al Hili consecutively ⁽²⁹⁾.

 

The aflaj system was discovered and used for the purposes of irrigation for more than one thousand year where a main irrigation channel was discovered near an archeological site close to Hili Park that dates back to the first half of the first thousand BC ⁽³⁰⁾. The aflaj are mostly located near the agricultural areas and oases to support the agricultural activities in the area. This led to the activation of the trading exchange activity in the area. The construction and use of aflaj in irrigation are associated with the construction of historical buildings. The rulers, consecutively, constructed a big group of forts, castles and towers to protect the water sources and agricultural lands ⁽³¹⁾. 

 

Most of the aflaj in Al Ain are located to the north of Hafit Mountain while the Ainiya and Dawoedi aflaj in Al Ain area are located to north east of Hafit Mountain. These afalj are located in the pebbly planes near the mountain areas close to the main feeding locations that receive more quantities of rain that supply the underground reserves in the area.

 

In Al Ain there are about 300 falaj but most of them had dried ⁽³²⁾ . Currently the records show that there are twenty seven falaj  ^{(33) (34) (35)}    

as follows: Ain Busihana, Hili, Raki, Ghusabi, Muatalij, Hinyami, Khuzami, Um Al Madr, Al Mowaijie, Al Muatarid, Al Qattara, Al Jimi, Al Aini (Al Sarouj), Al Dawoedi, Al Masoudi, Al Jahli, Al Buraimi, Falaj Hzzaa, Mizyid, Saa, Al Surrah, Wadi Al Hamam, Wadi Al Jabib, Al Mazimi, Saarah, Al Kuwaitat and Al Hili Fun City. The depth of the aflaj that our grandfathers had dug range between 90 and 95 foot from the ground surface through the vertical holes (wells) that at the depth connect through the horizontal holes within rocky tunnel that extends for several kilometers.

 

The runway of the falaj begins at the spring of the falaj (um al falaj) and ends at the location of emergence of water at the surface (al shirea). The water moves according to the slope of the ground while under the surface it moves in circular path and turns its course at every distance in order to make the water movement moderate with strong momentum. The water moves from the underground to the shirea in the middle of the agricultural areas and the water level in the shirea ranges between 1.5 and 2 foot and the level increases after rainfall ⁽³⁶⁾ . The waters of Al Muatarid, Al Muwaijie, Al Jimi and Al Qattara aflaj move from east to west while the water of Al Hili falaj moves from north east to south west while the Dawoedi falaj moves from the south east to the north west. As for Ain Busikhana falaj, it moves from south to north and the Mizyid falaj moves from north to south ^{(37) (38)}.

 

Ums (mothers) of al falaj of Al Ain are located near Um Sadeera at the south of the farm of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan from the west and before the ums were located at Al Maragh area while the ums of Al Dawoedi falaj, they are located at the west of the farm of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and before they were located in the area of ums of Al Dawoedi at the south east of the City of Ain. The Ums of Al Muatarid falaj are located near the police station of the old Murabbaa (near Al Murabbaa Prison) while the ums of Al Muwaijie falaj, they are located to the east of the farm of the Late Abdullah bin Ghannoum near the old Passports Department in Humaira area at the city center. In addition the ums of Al Jahili falaj are located next to the Maintenance Division of the Agriculture Department to the east and passes through the form of Sheikh Ahmad bin Hamid. As for Al Jimi falaj, its ums are located near the form of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan from the north east and passes through Al Buraimi Province in the Sultanate of Oman.

 

The ums of Al Qattara falaj are located near the blocks factor to the south of Saaraa in the Province of Al Buraimi in the Sultanate of Oman while the ums of Hili falaj are located to the east of Al Foua until Hili. In addition, the ums of Mizyid falaj are located within the water courses of Mizyid area to the north east while the ums of Saa falaj of Saa form are located to the east until Raddat Saa on the borders of Oman. The depth of the falaj at the ums of the falaj ranges between 90 and 95 foot ⁽³⁹⁾. Table 2 shows the length and width of some aflaj in Al Ain City where the lengths range between 2000 in Mizyid falaj to 15000 meters in Al Sarouj falaj while the width ranges from 0.65 in Al Hili falaj to 1.2 Meters in Ain Busikhana falaj. Al Sarouj falaj is considered one of the longest aflaj that irrigates an area of palm farms and the ums of this falaj are located near Um Sadira to the south of the farm of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed from the west and earlier its source was in Maragh area^{(40) (41)} . Table 3 shows the lengths of courses of the aflaj in Al Ain city and they range between 393 at the tributary of Al Raki falaj and 8370 meters at Al Aini falaj ⁽⁴²⁾.

 

 

 

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Bless his soul, made great efforts while he exercised his responsibilities as the Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain to secure decent life to citizens and he worked on providing appropriate quantities of water for Al Ain as at that time water was very expensive. For this purpose, he developed and constructed the aflaj that were not developed since the era of Khalifa bin Zayed the First ^{(46) (47)}.

 

At a certain period of time, the aflaj of Al Ain were subject to destruction and burial due to the tribal conflicts that were prevailing then and the falaj was called the dead falaj when its surface channels are filled with alluvium that limited the 

movement of water ⁽⁴⁸⁾.

 

His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Bless his soul, took care of maintaining the old aflaj and digging new wells for them, and also worked on constructing new aflaj in order to provide water for people and livestock also when he completed Al Thiqab ⁽⁴⁹⁾.

 

The role of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in developing the aflaj became very apparent when was personally in charge of determining the Thiqab of the aflaj and order to dig and connect them with the main runway of the dead aflaj ⁽⁵⁰⁾. H.H. was known for his experience, wits and intelligence and that was reflected in determining the locations of the underground waters under the feet of the mountains ⁽⁵¹⁾. The British officials followed up the achievements of Sheikh Zayed and included them in their periodical reports to their government. The report of the British Residency dated 31/03/1957 noted that when one of the officials visited Al Ain he inspected the aflaj and the same report pointed out Sheikh Zayed had repaired two of the three aflaj to increase the flow of water by cleaning and expanding Al Thiqab ⁽⁵²⁾.

 

In addition, Edward Henderson, the Envoy of Iraq Oil Company who visited Al Ain on 27th of March 1960 wrote: “The British Government spent about 5000 Pounds on cleaning the aflaj but Sheikh Zayed was digging for new sources in addition to carrying out more cleaning works and this absorbs lots of money. I think maybe Zayed was spending about 50 Thousand Rupees per year since 1955” ⁽⁵³⁾. Accordingly, it became possible to irrigate Al Muwaijie farms completely every three weeks after it was being irrigated once every five weeks ⁽⁵⁴⁾.

 

In addition, Ranob, a British Official who visited Al Ain in November 1958 stated that: “there was lots of talking about the continuous efforts of Sheikh Zayed to improve the aflaj of Al Ain. We went by car near the spring where Zayed had earlier in this year planted for Thiqabs to improve its runway and I met Sultan Al Amiri the supervisor of Zayed workers. He showed us to addition Thiqabs being planted at that moment” ⁽⁵⁵⁾ . In addition, Ahmad Qasim Al Bourini, a teacher who was talking about what he saw in the Emirates during the period 1953-1955 that Al Ain is supplied with two channels (aflaj) and noted that the two channels that supply Al Jimi and Al Qattara run under parts of Al Hilla and Hamasa ⁽⁵⁶⁾.

 

The Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had provided the money sufficient to dig and construct the aflaj as he provided Sixty Thousand Rupees to build Al Ain falaj as shown through the letters of H.H. Sheikh Zayed to his brother Sheikh Shakhbout bin Sultan through his Envoy Ahmad bin Mahmoud. He also provided Seventy Five Thousand Rupees to build Al Aini and Al Dawoedi aflaj ⁽⁵⁷⁾.

 

The efforts of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan through giving attention to securing a decent life for the people of Al Ain bore fruit represented in digging Al Sarouj falaj (Al Aini) where the digging works in it started in 1948 and the work continued for about eighteen years ⁽⁸⁵⁾ . This resulted in the increase in the flow of the falaj water by one third compared to the previous flow and in turn led to reducing the irrigation cycle to one half. After the palm trees were irrigated every sixty days the period was reduced to thirty six days. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Bless his soul, encouraged people to clean and purify the old afalaj and he used to provide them with pumps and tools necessary to reform new lands and agriculture ⁽⁵⁹⁾.

 

The care of H.H. for the aflaj was very apparent when he brought specialists in digging aflaj from Al Awamir Tribe in the Sultanate of Oman. In addition, he used to come down himself in the well of the falaj to examine its fitness ⁽⁶⁰⁾ . He used to personally supervise the maintenance of aflaj where he once came down into a well during the cleaning and maintenance of a falaj and he encouraged the workers by providing food and drink to those working on the falaj ⁽⁶¹⁾. Digging and maintaining the aflaj had many positive aspects that reflected on the people where the water became free to all after they used to pay tax ⁽⁶²⁾. In addition, H.H. Sheikh Zayed cancelled the shares system applied I the aflaj system and employed persons with salaries to irrigate agricultural lands fairly and equally between all classes of society ⁽⁶³⁾.

 

The care of H.H. Sheikh Zayed by Sultan Al Nahyan for aflaj was manifested in digging wells and Sulul through the Aflaj Division in Al Ain Municipality were a committee was formed for supervision and maintenance and supervisors and workers were appointed to irrigate the palm farms ⁽⁶⁴⁾.

 

 

The aflaj system depended on the shallow underground reserve close to the ground surface and therefore with the extensive pulling of the underground water and the lack in feeding the underground reserve by rain, the flow of the aflaj water became less and the quality of water deteriorated. 

 

This is due to the increase of demand on water as a result of the agricultural activities and the other activities in addition to the population growth in the area. As a result of the economic developed that had been and still being witnessed in the country, most of farmers shifted to easier jobs with high income and this in turn led to employing expatriate workforce for the maintenance and service of the aflaj.

 

Another group of farmers replaced the aflaj system with the electric pumps that operate on diesel to pump the underground water and irrigate the agricultural lands. The building and economic renaissance that Al Ain City is witnessing led to the transformation of areas of agricultural lands to building lands. In addition, knowledge of the afalj system was limited to the elders and grandfathers, but today’s generation had ignored knowledge of the aflaj system ⁽⁶⁶⁾.