Karez is a wonder that was built 2,000 years ago and is still in operation today, helping to bring water from the rainy mountains to the Xinjiang desert.
In Western China there is a man-made wonder that has gone unnoticed. This is Tu Lu Phien , the home of the Uighurs.
This is an arid and desolate area with strange mounds scattered about. Those mounds are actually wells leading to an ancient irrigation system called Karez .
Below the ground, more than 1,000 vertical wells reach into the canals. Using gravity, the canal carries water from the rainy mountains to the desert. The underground canal prevents water from evaporating while the mouth of the well helps people get water.
These mounds are actually wells leading to an ancient irrigation system.
Today, this system is maintained in an area called Portugal , which was once an oasis for weary travelers along the Silk Road.
But maintaining this ancient system is difficult and dangerous. “I have been doing this job for 10 years, at first I was quite scared but after a while, I got used to it,” said Sadik Eysa, a worker in Karez.
Workers often go down to the well to dredge the sediment and strengthen the well wall. “This work is very important, if we don’t do it, the canal will dry up and the whole village will have no drinking water ,” said Sadik Eysa.
The canal provides drinking water for thousands of people and irrigate 30% of the region’s crops, which are vineyards dating back to the 3rd century.
The scale of production here is most visible from above. Farmers use these brick tables to dry millions of grapes and make raisins. This is another ingenious example of how man works with nature.