UNESCO Water Structures: Heritage, Innovation and Sustainable Use

Abstract Ancient water structures, such as Roman aqueducts and Persian qanats, reflect past civilizations’ sophisticated engineering and resource management skills. Roman aqueducts supported urban, agricultural, and sanitary systems through precise design and extensive networks, while Persian qanats provided consistent access to groundwater in arid climates. Both structures, recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, embody significant cultural, historical, and technical values. This study focuses on a selection of these ancient systems, chosen for their exemplary representation of diverse approaches to water management, to explore their sustainable principles, adaptive reuse, and integration into modern environments. The study highlights their continued relevance in landscape architecture and water management practices while acknowledging the limitations of the study’s scope to specific ancient examples.