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Folk astronomy in Omani agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Harriet Nash  and
Dionisius A. Agius
Harriet Nash
Affiliation:
Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4ND, United Kingdom email: [email protected], [email protected]
Dionisius A. Agius
Affiliation:
Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4ND, United Kingdom email: [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

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The Sultanate of Oman is possibly unique in using stars to time the allocation of water in the traditional irrigation systems called aflāj (s. falaj), which are still an important part of Omani culture and sense of national identity. This is a rapidly disappearing oral tradition that has hardly been known about outside Oman prior to this study. The need for timing water shares is explained and the methods of stargazing described. The identities of the stars, their Omani names and the relationship with modern star names are discussed.

Keywords

Omanstargazingtiming wateragriculturestar names
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , pp. 166 - 171
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

Al Sulaimani, Z., Helmi, T., & Nash, H. 2007, The social importance and continuity of falaj use in northern Oman, International History Seminar on Irrigation and Drainage, 2-5 May 2007 Tehran http://hdl.handle.net/10036/15174Google Scholar
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Nash, H. 2009, Water management: the use of stars in Oman, PhD thesis (Exeter: Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter)Google Scholar
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