Ancient underground labyrinth city discovered with its own water system to cool down chambers during scorching summer
AN ANCIENT underground labyrinth city with its own advanced water system has been discovered after researchers stumbled across it in a garden.
The sprawling network of twisting passages was found beneath the historic town of Abarkuh, Yazd Province, central Iran.
Abarkuh has always been known to harbour a rich history, as it falls within the "golden triangle" between the ancient cultural hubs of Shiraz, Yazd and Isfahan.
But the huge and complex structure discovered beneath the town still amazed archaeologists.
The tunnels were uncovered below five Abarkuh houses after stone chambers were detected beneath their gardens.
Archaeologists broke through the earth to regain access to the spaces, which had sat undisturbed for hundreds of years.
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So far, they have explored an enormous 650,000 square-feet of underground space, but the labyrinth could extend much further throughout the entire city.
The governor of Abarkuh, Hossein Hatami, said that "research was continuing" because similar discoveries in the past suggest the corridors could stretch "throughout the entire historical context of Abarkuh".
Researchers figured out that the subterranean city had been used mainly to transport the local water supply.
It hosted the city's canal system, which was was key to providing drinking water and allowing residents to stay cool during the baking desert summers.
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Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst, said: “These tunnels were used to transport water from underground aquifers to the surface for irrigation, drinking, and other uses in the arid region."
It was important for the water to flow underground so that it wouldn't evaporate in the scorching-hot temperatures.
This allowed the ancient people to bring in water from distant supplies, and kept it cool.
But archaeologists have come across more than just canal channels.
There are also large halls carved out of the rock, suggesting that people would venture down and gather there.
The chambers would have provided a reprieve from the punishing sun, and temperatures do not soar so high underground.
The hidden network would also have served as a haven to hide in during wars and invasions.
Hatami said: “The spaces between these stone beds were turned into gardens by the ancients, and they had foreseen paths under these stone sections for ease of access, security, water transportation, and their lives."
He added: “The presence of small stone chambers in the historical houses of Abarkuh, located under the stone bed, indicates their special function in the past.”
Historians think the tunnels were built by the Qajar people.
Clues come from the kind of stones used to reinforce the underground walls - which are the same stones the Qajar used in above-ground buildings.
This group was a tribe that began to spread in the 10th century, and eventually bloomed into Iran's Qajar royal dynasty that existed between the 18th and 20th centuries.
Irina said: “There are many tunnels from the Qajar period in Iran, although it’s difficult to pin down an exact number.
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“The Qajar dynasty was known for its large-scale infrastructure projects, including the construction of qanats, water reservoirs, and tunnels, many of which are still in use today.
"While it’s hard to give a precise count, the Qajar dynasty left behind a significant number of such structures.”
