This enormous "subterranean settlement" was equipped with an aqueduct designed not only to store and transport water, but also to cool these underground chambers so they could serve as a refuge from the summer heat.
IRNAInside the underground tunnels discovered beneath Abarkuh, Iran.
Archaeologists and historians have always known that Abarkuh, Iran, was an important historical city. Situated within the “golden triangle” of Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, it functioned as a settlement for centuries. But now, the discovery of an “underground city” in Abarkuh has caught many by surprise.
Uncovered beneath five houses in Abarkuh, this subterranean city was used to transport the local water supply, stay cool in the summer, and serve as a haven during war and invasion.
Discovering The Underground City Beneath Abarkuh, Iran
IRNAA look inside one of the underground tunnels, which were initially discovered beneath five houses in Abarkuh.
According to Iranian media, the underground city was found under five houses in Abarkuh, when stone chambers were detected under gardens.
“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,” Hossein Hatami, the governor of Abarkuh, explained in an interview. “[T]he presence of small stone chambers in the historical houses of Abarkuh, located under the stone bed, indicates their special function in the past.”
IRNAThe underground city spans 650,000 square feet, but may extend much further throughout the entire city.
The investigation of these stone chambers led to the “discovery of an underground settlement.” What’s more, researchers think that it could extend beneath other neighborhoods — if not the entirety of Abarkuh.
“Given the possibility that there are more examples of this underground complex in other neighborhoods and perhaps throughout the entire historical context of Abarkuh,” Hatami said, “research is continuing.”
For now, researchers believe that the tunnels may have been built by the Qajar people, as stones used in its construction are the same kind of stones found in the city’s Qajar buildings. The Qajar were a tribe that began to spread in the 10th and 11th century, and eventually led to Iran’s Qajar dynasty in the 18th through 20th centuries.
How Abarkuh’s Underground City Was Once Used
As Hatami told Iranian media, it appears that the underground city in Abarkuh likely served multiple different purposes in centuries past. But initially, the tunnels served as an aqueduct for the city.
“The tunnels in Abarkuh… were primarily built for water management, specifically for the qanat [underground canal] system,” Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst and the president of Scarab Rising, who has written about the Qajars for Modern Diplomacy, told All That’s Interesting. “These tunnels were used to transport water from underground aquifers to the surface for irrigation, drinking, and other uses in the arid region.”
IRNAWalking through the tunnels of Abarkuh, which once likely served as both an aqueduct and a refuge from scorching temperatures above round.
Because Abarkuh is located in the desert, tunnels like these were crucial.
“The tunnels allowed for water to flow from distant sources to the city, reducing evaporation and maintaining a more reliable water supply for agriculture and daily life,” Tsukerman explained. “In addition to their practical purpose, the design of these tunnels was ingeniously adapted to the region’s hot climate. The qanat tunnels are often quite deep and well-ventilated, ensuring that the water remained cool as it traveled through the underground channels.”
But ancient people didn’t just use the tunnels for managing water. Cool and dark, they also offered a reprieve from hot summer days.
IRNAThe tunnels were used to manage the city’s water supply and may have served as a refuge in case of attack.
As Hatami remarked, the tunnels also provided a “cool and peaceful space” during the hottest times of the year, which led to the “gradual creation of large halls…so that the people of the desert land of Abarkuh could use it as a resting place and perhaps a place to live during the hot summer days.”
What’s more, the tunnels provided a convenient place for people to seek shelter and safety if the city was under attack.
“It is said that another use of this underground complex was as a hiding place or shelter in times of war,” Hatami stated.
The Fall Of Abarkuh’s Subterranean Settlement
Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia CommonsThe city of Abarkuh, Iran.
At one point, it seems that Abarkuh’s underground city was quite expansive. Surveys have suggested that, of the 170 hectares that make up the “historical fabric of the city,” some 60 contained underground tunnels and canals. And indeed, such tunnels were a frequent feature of Qajar societies.
“There are many tunnels from the Qajar period in Iran, although it’s difficult to pin down an exact number,” Tsukerman told All That’s Interesting. “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.”
But unfortunately, most of the tunnels in Abarkuh are inaccessible today.
“After some of the aqueducts dried up, numerous constructions were carried out in the city, and their sewage was placed in these underground routes,” Hatami explained. “Unfortunately, for this reason, it is not possible to reopen the entire route, and currently only part of it has been excavated.”
As such, some parts of the underground city are lost to time. But the tunnels that remain accessible offer a fascinating glimpse at life in Abarkuh hundreds of years ago, and the enterprising nature of its people.
“Some of the qanats and tunnels in Abarkuh are still functional today, reflecting the remarkable engineering skills of the time,” Tsukerman remarked.” The discovery of these tunnels underscores that high aridity was an issue Persia/Iran has dealing with for a long time, but that careful human management contributed to a problem-solving approached that sustained the development of that area despite natural climactic issues.”
After reading about the underground city that was unearthed beneath the Iranian city of Abarkuh, discover the stories of some of the most astounding underground cities around the world. Then, learn about the catacombs of Rome, the sprawling tunnels beneath the city that contain some of earliest known depictions of Jesus Christ.
