*1.1. Water as Power, Life and Heritage*

Water represents the primary human concern and has been one of the major drivers of social, political, cultural and economic development for millennia. The access to water resources contributed to shaping and influencing decision-making from the earliest hunter-gather groups to 21st century countries [1]. Moreover, the first strategies for water manipulation for irrigation purposes, navigation and delimitation of borders emerged as early as the Bronze Age in different regions of the world, including the Near East [2,3], South America [4,5], India [6,7], China [8,9] and Europe [10,11], confirming its paramount significance from small-scale aspects of everyday life up to national scale supply by governmental bodies.

As stressed by Hein et al., water can be a multifaceted tool in support of humans [12], but at the same time, a force against which we should defend when storms or floods break out. For example, the control of river flooding and the regulation of irrigation was one of the first problems that humans had to face following the emergence of agriculture. Over the centuries, the use of water has also generated conflicts between human communities,

**Citation:** Zaina, F.; Branduini, P.; Zavvari, F. Applying ICOMOS-IFLA Principles for the Conservation, Management and Reuse of a Historical Hydraulic System: The No-Ras Qanat in North-Western Iran. *Heritage* **2022**, *5*, 3165–3187. https:// doi.org/10.3390/heritage5040163

Academic Editors: Lucia Della Spina, Paola Pellegrini, Antonia Russo, Maria Rosa Valluzzi and Angela Viglianisi

Received: 13 September 2022 Accepted: 15 October 2022 Published: 20 October 2022

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**Copyright:** © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

such as the political tensions following the construction of dams along rivers crossing more countries in the Middle East [13,14] and central Africa [15,16] or so-called "water grabbing", affecting many African communities [17]. These issues are strictly intertwined with the increasing effects of climate change, representing one of the key challenges in the 21st century. However, the use of water has also led communities around the world to establish an intimate link with it and its benefits. Rivers, lakes and seas have become an integral part of human life and to confirm this deep relationship, stories, traditions and rituals emerged [12,18]. For example, the hydraulic network at Angkor Vat served both the physical infrastructure and the ritual network of sacred places and temples [19]. In the Netherlands, the water management infrastructure represents an iconic element of Dutch historical identity [20]. The key role of water in all aspects of life has also been emphasized in the case of several indigenous Aboriginal Australian communities through the term "cultural water" [21,22]. In other words, water has become heritage.

Today, this can be viewed as both a heritage under threat in many parts of the world due to multiple recent human-induced factors and an active player with a critical role in the mitigation of climate change effects when responsibly used (for example, reconsidering old management systems).

Building on these reflections, this paper aims to investigate a particular type of water heritage: historical hydraulic systems (hereafter HHSs).

#### *1.2. Historical Hydraulic Systems as Landscape Heritage*

HHSs represent a significant part of rural landscapes and the wider global heritage. According to the geographic location and climate conditions, different types of HHSs have been developed by local communities worldwide. The necessary technical knowledge to build, preserve and manage these HHSs has been passed on for centuries from generation to generation and, over the long term, they have become shared tangible and intangible heritage practices. In addition to being an important cultural asset, HHSs also played a key role in the economy of numerous communities for centuries if not millennia and, in most cases, until a few years ago [23,24].

However, from the second half of the 20th century onwards, substantial socio-economic as well as technological changes occurring at different scales worldwide have put many HHSs around the world at risk of abandonment and eventually of disappearance [25–27]. This issue has slowly come to the fore, thanks to the efforts of international institutions, such as UNESCO (United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and IFLA (International Federation of Landscape Architects), as well as numerous researchers worldwide. As a result, a number of conservations and management guidelines for historical landscapes (which include HHSs) emerged during the last few decades, issued by international institutions, including the World Heritage Convention [28], the European Landscape Convention [29] and the Krakow charter [30].

More recently, new studies and international conventions allowed researchers to take a step forward in the understanding of historical landscapes. These have been framed into a new dimension, not only as a passive element of the past to be preserved but also as an active resource to achieve sustainable development and mitigate climate change [31]. Therefore, as stressed by [32], this kind of heritage should not be seen as a burden for the present but as a resource to build a sustainable future and counteract the growing effects of climate change. A systematic definition of the wider role of historical landscapes was provided by the recent ICOMOS-IFLA *Principles Concerning Rural Landscape as Heritage* [33], which recognized them (including HHS) as a resource that can provide food, raw materials and a sense of identity involving economic, environmental, cultural and social aspects. Interpreting HHSs as system of heritage networks connected by functional, physical, social and cultural relationships [34] allows one to overturn previous narratives concerning the passive role of landscape and environment in general, toward an active function in the overall improvement in life quality. Yet, the heritage dimension of HHSs may

also contribute to issues typical of metropolitan areas, including the unregulated urban development and the overall environmental quality. It can offer a number of opportunities for urban populations, such as access to new public spaces, promotion of activities related to the memory and agricultural identity modifying the relationship between rural and urban contexts [32].

The importance of preserving and reusing HHSs has been underlined by several UN Sustainable Development Goals (hereafter SDGs). According to ICOMOS *SDG Policy Guidance* [35], HHSs are an important tangible cultural heritage falling into SDG 11.4 "*strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage*". Moreover, many HHSs are managed through communal initiatives that have been passed down from the past to the present through interactive activities (SDG 4, lifelong learning). Yet, the use of water resources and ingenuous hydraulic systems that are often forgotten and underutilized contributes to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) scope and, eventually, to adjust climate variability, thus, matching SDG 13 (Climate action) goals. The effect of the evolution of the concept of historical landscape is also mirrored by the number of calls by the new Horizon Europe program, focusing not only on the preservation, but also on the reuse of natural and cultural heritage as well as on traditional techniques to counteract the effects of climate change 1.

#### *1.3. Historical Hydraulic Systems and Climate Change: The Qanats/Kariz*

Among the numerous examples of HHSs, a key role is played by the so-called qanat or kariz. This is an ancient system of underground tunnels and wells built for channelling water from a mountain to a generally dry lower region for multiple purposes, including irrigation and drinking water for humans and animals [36–39]. While there is no clear etymological evidence for the qanat or karez (others named it foggara, mayun, negula, etc.), the majority of studies agreed that it might be a Persian or Arabic word meaning "tube", "canal" or "channel" [38–41].

This underground water system represented a major technological solution for water supply in arid and semi-arid regions for millennia [37,39,42], with the earliest archaeological evidence placing its emergence either in the Zagros mountain in the west of Iran [42,43] or southeast Arabia [44,45]. Then, thanks to their multiple social and economic benefits, qanat-like systems spread throughout the Middle East [46] and in many arid and semi-arid regions of China [47,48], the Mediterranean basin [49,50], Northern Africa [42,51] and South America [52].

The specific technical knowledge for construction, management and maintenance gave rise to professional figures called (at least in the Middle East region) *moqanni*, whose skills have often been handed down from father to son for generations [37]. The great engineering and economic value of these works was recognized in ancient times, as confirmed by the Neo-Assyrian chronicles of King Sennacherib [53,54], which brought artisans to Assyria for replicating the system in order to provide water to the main cities of the empire. Entire communities grew and flourished around one or more qanats. Therefore, these HHSs have represented not only an important architectural element and economic engine but also part of the heritage of numerous communities around the world.

Despite this long-term tradition, from the 19th century onwards, an increasing number of qanat/karez have been abandoned and replaced by modern water management systems, such as dams and other hydroelectric infrastructures [36,55,56]. However, recent research brought about a growing consensus on the multiple, often irreversible, issues inherent or caused by most of these modern systems, including pollution and other environmental damage, regional conflicts, political pressures, as well as structural instability [13,14,36,57,58].

Today, qanats/karez are documented in 34 countries around the world [59]. In terms of quantity and dimensions, Iran is the richest country, with almost 24,000 qanats located in the arid and semi-arid dry areas. To help counteracting this phenomenon, over the last decade, a growing number of scientific papers emphasized how the use of HHSs, including qanat/karez, integrated with modern clean and sustainable methodologies and tools, can become a valuable economic, environmental, social and cultural resource [37,42,60]. Moreover, while detailed studies are still underway, numerous researchers are also stressing the relevance of qanats and similar HHSs to counteract the effects of climate change, often caused by modern hydraulic systems [61,62]. The importance of preserving and reusing these HHSs has been recently confirmed also by UNESCO and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Five UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHSs) <sup>2</sup> and two FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHSs) <sup>3</sup> located in Iran or Spain are, or include, one or more qanat/karez.

#### *1.4. Applying the ICOMOS-IFLA Guidelines for Documenting, Preserving and Reusing HHSs*

The present research builds on a previous paper [36], which analysed the case study of No-Ras qanat, in the Tabriz region of North-west Iran as an example of an HHS at risk of abandonment and decay, that is instead an important cultural and natural heritage (as demonstrated by the UNESCO WHS qanat system of Yazd in central Iran) and that can newly represent a valuable economic resource, also enhancing and reviving the urban layout of a town.

The analysis proposed in that paper regarded the first part, known as "*Principles*", of the guidelines presented by ICOMOS-IFLA [33] and discussed by Scazzosi [34].

The "Principles" phase primarily consists of the definition of the heritage elements and their importance. Moreover, it also takes into account the threats, challenges for conservation as well as the benefit for stakeholders and in terms of a place's sustainability [34]. For our case study, we considered the qanat within its geographic context, considering both tangible and intangible permanencies, the role and involvement of the different stakeholders, the spatial character, the previous and current threats, along with the attitude toward change. We then provided several recommendations, revolving around five key issues, for drafting an efficient action plan, representing the second part of the ICOMOS-IFLA document [33]: 1. water shortage; 2. mismanagement and lack of documentation; 3. loss of technical skills; 4. lack of awareness; 5. perception of qanat as cultural heritage.

This paper focuses on the second part of the ICOMOS-IFLA methodological approach to HHS, meaning the "*Action criteria*". Based on the recommendations proposed in the first part, we will provide an action plan for preserving and reusing the No-Ras qanat.

#### **2. Aims and Methods**
