Water Paths: The Aflaj of the Sultanate of Oman

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When water carves paths between arid regions and mountains. At first glance, everything seems to set the Alpine landscapes of Valais apart from the arid expanses of Oman. And yet, an invisible thread connects them: water. In these two rare and challenging regions, societies have learned to capture, channel, and share this vital resource with remarkable ingenuity. The exhibition thus offers an immersive exploration of Oman’s traditional irrigation systems—the aflaj—which echo the Swiss bisses, revealing unexpected parallels. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the aflaj are among the oldest irrigation systems still in operation in the world. Their operation relies on engineering that is as unobtrusive as it is remarkable: water is collected from underground aquifers or springs, then channeled over long distances through hand-dug tunnels, sometimes spanning several kilometers. Thanks to precise control of the slope, the water flows naturally—without the need for mechanical devices—before being redistributed to the oases via a network of secondary canals tailored to agricultural needs. But the aflaj tell a story that goes far beyond a technical feat. Through artifacts, archives, films, testimonials, and interactive exhibits, visitors are invited to explore these systems in all their complexity, as well as their deeply human dimension. Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.