Water Resources and Their Role in Attracting Tourists, Case Study of Tehran's Qanats

Since Iranians introduced Qanat to the world, it has been widely spread around the world due to its usefulness and it has provided people with groundwater. According to studies conducted in Iran, there are 300 thousand wells for accessing Qanats and these structures have the total length of 10000 kilometers. In order to utilize these water resources, sustainable development should be considered as an important issue which means exploitation of these resources with responsibility, reasonable and proper planning. Tourism has many advantages like a cultural exchange, flourishing native businesses, increasing the rate of employment and familiarizing communities. Studying the history and structure of Qanats in Iran and other regions, reveals the high technical knowledge of our ancestors. Due to many reasons such as new methods of irrigation, climate changes and inappropriate management knowledge have caused drought in many Qanats. Successful experiences in reviving Qanats in order to use them as tourist attractions in different regions, has illustrated the high potential of Tehran to attract a huge number of tourists by reviving and improving these structures in historical parts of this city.