The hydrological networks of the Balkh Oasis after the arrival of Islam: a landscape archaeological perspective

Abstract

This article seeks to evaluate the development of the Balkh Oasis in Northern Afghanistan, from the perspective of hydrological management. The concept of ‘oasis cities’ has been applied to several lowland settlement systems in Central Asia, characterised as fertile river deltas surrounded by deserts. Of these, the oasis surrounding the city of Balkh remains the least well archaeologically explored, in spite of the fact that it represents possibly the best preserved of similar hydrological systems. As new archaeological ground survey in the Balkh region remains challenging, the discussion here compares existing archaeological records and historical accounts of water management throughout the medieval and early modern period, combining them with evidence traced from high-resolution satellite imagery. The picture that emerges is a complex constellation of substantial settlements among agricultural lands beyond the core city, watered by tiers of divergent channels. Several key changes in the physical and political landscape necessitated the reorganisation of this hydrological network, and over time these shifts can be traced by contrasting the abandonment of some regions with the notable expansion of others.