mesopotamian irrigation system
TRANSCRIPT
Mesopotamian Irrigation System
By: Damini Kashelkar & Manisha Mehra
Mesopotamian Irrigation System
Mesopotamia was known as the land between two rivers, the Tigris to the north and the Euphrates to the south. Irrigation was extremely vital to Mesopotamia because rains were seasonal in this area, which meant that the land flooded in the winter and spring and water was scarce at other times. Farming in the region depended on irrigation from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Canals
An immense network of irrigation canals fed by the Euphrates River
The Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia built city walls and temples and dug canals that were the world's first engineering works.
The Assyrians also developed extensive public works. Sargon II, invading Armenia in 714 B.C.E. , discovered the qanat (Arabic ) or kariz (Persian), which is a tunnel used to bring water from an underground source in the hills down to the foothills. Sargon destroyed the area in Armenia but brought the concept back to Assyria. This method of irrigation spread over the Near East into North Africa over the centuries and is still used.
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