The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Sahara Society: A Groundwater Saga

The Garamantian Empire, an ancient Saharan civilization, thrived in the hyper-arid conditions of the Sahara Desert by extracting groundwater using a system called foggara or qanat. They dug underground tunnels and vertical access shafts to access the water stored in a large sandstone aquifer. However, when the groundwater levels eventually fell, the empire collapsed. This serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of sustainable groundwater use, especially in the face of increasing extreme environments and unsustainable practices.