Abdullah Al-Ghafri

University of Nizwa · UNESCO Chair on Aflaj Studies-Archaeohydrology

Aflaj refers to a traditional irrigation system found in Oman, which has been used for centuries to sustainably manage groundwater resources. These resources play a vital role in meeting various consumption needs, including agriculture, domestic, and industrial. The article, for the first time, introduces the concept of “hydraulics of aflaj”, empha...

Due to the growth of population and industrial advancements in Iran, especially Birjand, the use of groundwater makes the aquifer’s balance becomes negative. This negatively affects both quantity and quality conditions of groundwater. To prevent this, suitable water management is necessary for Birjand aquifer. In this study, to overcome negative gr...

Commercial antibacterial drugs commonly used to treat diseases have led to the current drug resistance in humans. Early human civilizations used Moringa peregrina extracts against a variety of illnesses and infections caused by food. M. Peregrina grows well in a variety of harsh conditions, including high temperatures, limited water supply, and nut...

This article examines falaj system in relation to the tribal fabric of its beneficiary community. Falaj is a gently sloping underground tunnel or open channel that transfers groundwater or seasonal runoffs to the cultivated lands. Falaj acts as a core around which six socio-economic spheres form in a certain spatial order: shari’a public space, res...

This article examines Iran as an example, where the water crisis is dealt with through denial, projection, and securitization approaches, described as "water pop-ulism." The Iranian polity systematically adopts denial and projection approaches to obscure an underlying causal chain whose first ring is ideology, and then, it resorts to the securitiza...

Candida albicans is a common fungus that can infect people, especially those who have compromised immune systems. In the face of declining efficacy of conventional antibiotics for treating fungus infections, natural plant-based remedies are gaining popularity. Moringa peregrina has long been used for its medicinal benefits, particularly for healing...

Groundwater extraction through aflaj has been a long-standing practice with minimal modifications since its invention. This research for the first time, presents a plan for the rehabilitation of aflaj systems in Oman from a technical point of view. Using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in Expert Choice software. Nine famous aflaj systems in...

The current drug resistance in human pathogens is a result of the abuse of antibacterial drugs commonly used to treat diseases. Early human civilizations used Moringa oleifera extracts to treat illnesses and infections caused by food-borne bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. In order to calculate the antibacterial effect of Moringa oleifera aga...

This study aims to discuss the history of the (Nuskha Aflaj) Aflaj records, and monitor its mention in Omani sources, specifically the books of Fiqh, and the study relies on the analytical approach. With the aim of highlighting this administrative tradition that Omani society has known for hundreds of years. The study was divided into three axes. T...

As an arid country, Oman's falaj flowrate directly affects the environmental, agricultural, and ecological characteristics of its regions. For this reason, it is vitally important for water decision managers, farmers, and governments to have an accurate prediction of falaj’s flowrate. The present research aims to develop a new method for flowrate o...

Plants need air to grow to take up carbon dioxide and oxygen (CO2 and O2). Plants also need nutrients, water, light, energy, and mechanical support. In geoponics (traditional farming in soil), plants get water, nutrients, and mechanical support from the soil. However in soilless-agriculture, hydroponics and aeroponics, plants take the nutrients di...

Pathogenic microbes are increasingly resistant to unnatural antibiotics made by humans, leading to the search for substitute drugs. In this study, Moringa (Moringa peregrina) was tested to see if it had antimicrobial effects on a few commonly occurring bacteria, specifically Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter hormaechei. During September 2022 t...

Water justice, defined as water distribution based on political agendas that prioritize certain regions in the reorganization of water resources, has become a critical issue in many regions around the world. Iran’s hydraulic mission exemplifies how dam construction and inter-basin water transfer primarily benefit high-water-demand sectors. Against...

Both Oman and Iran possess a harsh environment where people’s survival and development entail a deep knowledge about their surroundings. A considerable part of this knowledge has crystallized around the falaj, a hydraulic technique that transfers water from a groundwater source or seasonal runoffs to cultivated lands, in Omani and Iranian oases, th...

Qanat is an ancient water harvesting technology which is used for irrigation, agriculture and drinking in many countries of the world. A key element of preserving this heritage is calculating their protection area. In this study, the main aim is depiction of the hydraulic harim of qanat with the usage of the meshless numerical method. Afterward, th...

This article addresses how ideology affects local water governance, focusing on a groundwater basin in central Iran. It offers a case study of a symbiotic relationship between upstream and downstream communities, allowing a sustainable form of water governance. The cooler weather, better pastures and greater amount of precipitation of the basin ups...

The aflaj systems represent unique irrigation technologies that have been implemented in the Sultanate of Oman. This innovative system, referred to as “falaj” in the singular form, is composed of a sophisticated network of underground tunnels and open-air channels designed to access shallow subterranean water tables, thereby providing water for res...

Water has played an important role in satisfying human requirements and needs since ancient times. Because of the importance of water in human set-tlements, the ancient people of Oman began to develop traditional knowledge related to water, through the exploitation of shallow water on the banks of the valleys where ancient human settlements came in...

This article aims to show that virtual water has historically been an adaptation strategy that enabled some arid regions to develop a prosperous economy without putting pressure on their scarce water resources. Virtual water is referred to as the total amount of water that is consumed to produce goods and services. As an example, in arid central Ir...

This article argues that the Sasanian government tried to reshape the hydrological order of water resources by damming rivers, digging canals and building aqueducts according to their conception of justice. Although all Iranian dynasties more or less replenished their budget with agricultural revenues, it was the Sasanian government that for the fi...

This article starts with the archaeology of justice in an attempt to get to the historical roots of the Iranians’ conception of justice. Justice has been founded on two conceptual pillars “social order” and “divine legitimacy” that were synthesized into the Iranian form of justice. Water justice has not meant equal distribution of water resources,...

Article about Aflaj and Qanats in Japanese language.

A short description about hydroponic farming. How to grow plants at home without soil. It explains the method, material, plants and growth requirements.

Oman is the gift of Aflaj. Aflaj are smart human solution that made the living in a dry environment like Oman is possible. These systems exist in about 50 countries around the globe. Aflaj are dated thousands of years ago. Some of them are pre-Islamic or even goes to the bronze age in Oman. These systems of water supply and irrigation were the base...

This paper investigates the implications of smallholder farming, that is, characteristic of a community based water management system in Oman known as a falaj (pl aflaj). The aflaj are naturally sustainable, and for centuries have provided water in an arid region, supporting agriculture and livelihoods. With over three thousand active aflaj in Oman...

This book illustrate the ways of water distribution in Aflaj of Oman. It contain a case study of the Aflaj of Izki. The book has tables of traditional star system used in timing irrigation as well a star system of the traditional agricultural calendar.

A PDF file of a workshop I did about Hydroponics, how to grow plants without soil. It contains A-Z of what beginners need to start their own hydroponic farm. It contain also a troubleshooting advice's.

Aflaj (plural of falaj) are smart human solution that made the living in a dry environment like Oman is possible. These systems exist in more than 35 countries around the globe. Aflaj are dated thousands of years ago. Some of them are pre-Islamic or even goes to the iron-age. Falaj is a traditional system of providing water for domestic and agricul...

Water rights in Oman were instituted centuries ago and are still active. These water rights are treated similarly to real property rights since they are sold, rented, and inherited independently of the land on which water is used. In most of the observed irrigation schemes, water auctions are present. The common water rights are mostly leased. The...

Oman is an arid country with an average annual rainfall of 100 mm. Agricultural productions in Oman is almost fully dependent on irrigation. More than one third of irrigation water is supplied by aflaj (singular: falaj), which provide 680 × 106 m³ of water per year and irrigate some 26,500 ha. Aflaj are trenches and tunnels, which are dug in the gr...

The falaj irrigation system of Oman once provided settlements with all their water needs, but their main use, then and now, is for the cultivation of crops. In most places, the water is shared among farmers such that it is necessary to time the allocation of water. Before wristwatches became widely available, farmers used sundials in the daytime an...

Traditional irrigation systems in Oman are often based on open channel conveyance of water from a source such as a spring or groundwater, and known as falaj (pl. aflāj). They have survived for centuries and formed the basis for sustainable land and water management practices in rural Oman. An overview of falaj in Oman, and rights to water for multi...

Traditional irrigation systems in Oman are often based on open channel conveyance of water from a source such as a spring or groundwater, and known as falaj (pl. aflāj). They have survived for centuries and formed the basis for sustainable land and water management practices in rural Oman. An overview of falaj in Oman, and rights to water for multi...

الفلج ) الجمع أفلاج ( هو حل بشري ذكي جعل الحياة ممكنة في بيئة جافة مثل عمان. توجد هذه الانظمة في أكثر من 35 دولة في جميع أنحاء العالم ويعود تاريخ نظام الفلج الى ألاف السنين، حيث شقت في عمان خلال فترات زمنية مختلفة يعود تاريخ البعض منها الى ماقبل الاسلام وبعضها يعود الى العصر الحديدي في الالف الاول والثاني قبل الميلاد. الفلج هو نظام تقليدي لتوفير ال...

The production of alginate microbeads with and without somatic tissue was investigated using an electrostatic droplet generator with a custom-made fixed (5.7 kV) and variable (0–20 kV) high-voltage power supply. The effects of applied potential, needle size, and alginate concentration were assessed as well as the immobilization of carnation callus...

On-farm measurements and observations of water flow, water costs and irrigation labour inputs at the individual parcel level were made in case studies of smallholder irrigation systems in sub-Saharan Africa and south-eastern Arabia. The systems, in which the water source supplied either single or multiple users, were analysed to address the fundame...

Due to the geographical location of Oman in an arid zone, agricultural production depends fully on irrigation. The traditional irrigation systems (Aflaj, sing. falaj) supply more than one third of water for agriculture. Falaj is defined in the context of this paper as a canal system which provides water for domestic and agricultural uses. Oman has...

This chapter is about the traditional water distribution methods in aflaj of Oman. With many examples.

This paper reports on results from a case study on water management within a traditional, falaj irrigation system in northern Oman. In the planning and design of regional irrigation development programs, generalized assumptions are frequently made as to the efficiency of traditional surface irrigation systems. Although qualitative accounts abound,...

A set of Omani traditional tools that I collected in 1994 and described them. It included its drawing, dimensions, source of power, use etc.

A major concern in cell and bioactive agent immobilization has been the production of very small microbeads to minimize the mass transfer resistance problem associated with large diameter beads (i.e., >1000 µm) (1). Conventional technology involves production of alginate beads with diameters ranging from 500–2000 µm using compressed air to quickly...