UAE aqueduct is 500 years older than first thought

One of the UAE’s oldest aqueduct systems dates back 500 years further than first thought.

It was originally believed that Falaj Hili 15, in the Hili region of Al Ain, was established in 700 BC.

But experts at the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, using information from previous excavations, now say the site is estimated to have been built in 1,200 BC, during the Iron Age.

The aqueduct is considered an important discovery because it gives historians and archaeologists a new insight into the region’s inhabitants, their settlements and when they were established.

The Hili Falaj is an intricately designed aqueduct system that takes water from mountainous areas to inhabited regions.

The aqueduct provided fresh water for drinking and irrigation.

Ali Al Meqbali, head of the Al Ain archaeology division, said the new discovery was important.

“Falaj Hili 15 changed existing theories about aqueduct systems in the region.

“The aqueducts are systems to assist inhabitants of the region to gain access to fresh water, overcoming difficult environmental conditions during this period.”

He said aqueducts were dependent on an underground water source.

Subterranean channels then allow the passage of water to surface-level tunnels, which carry water to an open cistern.

This main access point allows for water to be allocated to inhabitants and farmers for irrigation and agricultural development.

“The aqueducts helped change the course of human settlement,” Mr Al Meqbali said.

“Initially, inhabitants were scattered in mountainous areas because, during the Bronze Age, individuals depended on wells for their water resources.

“But with the advent of aqueducts, settlement patterns changed and inhabitants dispersed during the Iron Age.”