Review of Underground Aqueducts Handbook edited by Andreas N. Angelakis, Eustathios Chiotis, Saeid Eslamian, and Herbert Weingartner

This book is an edited volume spanning 29 chapters written by 66 authors from different disciplines representing 26 countries and four continents. In the preface, the four editors state that this book focuses on the technological developments and management practices related to worldwide underground aqueducts technologies throughout the millennia. Some of the aqueducts are still operational and there is a lesson to be learned from past practices. With this in mind, the book is divided into eight parts.

Part I consists of Chapter 1, which is the introduction. Providing a historical review of the early underground aqueducts, the chapter goes on to discuss classification and terminology of underground aqueducts, diffusion of terminology versus diffusion of qanat invention, underground aqueducts as a response to Holocene aridification, and general conclusions. This is a well written chapter and is quite educational.

Part II consists of four chapters covering Europe. Roman underground hydraulic structures in Croatia are discussed in Chapter 2, Roman underground aqueducts in Germany in Chapter 3, ancient underground aqueducts in Greece in Chapter 4, and the aqueduct of Eupalinos on Samos in Greece in Chapter 5. It is surprising that Roman aqueducts in Italy are not covered in this part. Nevertheless, this part does provide a flavor of aqueducts in Europe.

Aqueducts in Africa are discussed in Part III, comprising three chapters. Aqueducts in Algeria are presented in Chapter 6, aqueducts in Egypt are discussed in Chapter 7, and the evolution of qanats is dealt with in Chapter 8. This part provides only a snapshot of aqueducts in Africa.

Aqueducts in the Middle East are discussed in Part IV, comprising nine chapters. Beginning with a discussion of qanats in Iran in Chapter 9, this part goes on to cover spring tunnels in Israel in Chapter 10, an underground water system in Syria and Jordan in Chapter 11, aqueducts in Oman in Chapter 12, aqueducts in Saudi Arabia in Chapter 13, qanats of Syria in Chapter 14, groundwater structures in Turkey in Chapter 15, Aflaj Al-Emarat in the United Arab Emirates in Chapter 16, and qanat and falaj in Iran and the United Arab Emirates in Chapter 17. This part is more representative of underground structures in the Middle East.

Chapters 18–20 in Part V cover aqueducts in Eurasia. Ancient aqueducts and irrigation systems in Armenia are discussed in Chapter 18, the evolution of qanat systems in the arid countries of the Caucasus and central Asia is discussed in Chapter 19, and ancient water mining in tunnels and wells in west central Asia is discussed in Chapter 20. This is a good representative part.

Part VI, comprising six chapters, deals with underground aqueducts in Asia. Starting with aqueducts in Japan in Chapter 21, it discusses drought management through qanats and water conservation in Afghanistan in Chapter 22, utilization and contribution of underground aqueducts in the Turpan Oasis in China in Chapter 23, groundwater abstraction and recharge in western India in Chapter 24, historical developments of qanats in Pakistan in Chapter 25, and underground aqueducts and water tunneling development in Thailand in Chapter 26. This part provides a good snapshot of underground aqueducts in Asia.

Chapters 27 and 28 discussing aqueducts in the Americas constitute Part VII. Chapter 27 discusses aqueducts in the Central Andes and South America, and Chapter 28 discusses ancient hydraulic catchment systems in Puebla, Mexico. This is a very brief part and hardly touches the vast array of aqueducts in Central, South, North Americas.

The concluding part, Part VII, contains only Chapter 29 and provides a good overview of past, present, and future trends of underground aqueducts.

On the whole, this is a good, informative book. Although the depth and breadth of coverage varies widely among chapters, the editors have done well in having broad coverage. The book is a fascinating read if one is interested in history and what our forebears did in the field of water systems. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the past and our heritage.