Under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the inaugural Conference on the Archaeology of Irrigation Technology and Water Management in the Islamic World is scheduled to take place at the Bahrain National Theatre from January 7-9.

Organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS) at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, this pioneering event aims to shed light on how Islamic societies historically managed and transmitted water resources. Additionally, it seeks to inspire collaborative efforts to draw lessons from ancient societies and address contemporary environmental and climate challenges.

The conference will showcase studies covering regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Southeast and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the historical spheres of influence in the Iberian Peninsula (Andalusia) and the Balkans.

Within Islamic civilization, irrigation and water management techniques are exemplified by a diverse array of engineering structures, including underground canals, suspended canals, ponds, tanks, fountains, water mills, wells, dams, arches, etc., developed between the seventh and nineteenth centuries.