Anticipate…
• Around 4000BCE, people dug wells in the UAE. What do you think the
problem would have been with this technology, as time went by?
• As the climate dried up around 4000BCE, the water table dropped.
The amount of crops that people can grow is limited by how much
water they could pull from a well.
• What do you think was the new solution?
The impact of
falaj during
iron age
UAE SST
Can you answer?
• Compare the current situation of water in UAE and India.
Evaluate the sources of water and challenges faced by both
countries.
Learning objectives
Describe the housing and food of the UAE area
during the Iron Age
Explain how a falaj works and its importance to a
community
Analyse why we need to recognize and preserve
world heritage sites, like the Al Ain Oasis.
• The Iron Age was the third historical and cultural stage in what is sometimes called the ‘three-age’ period: Stone
Age (Up to about 3,000 BCE), Bronze Age (about 3,000 – 1,200 BCE), and Iron Age (about 1,200 – 100 BCE). As
the name indicates, the Iron Age was characterized by the discovery and use of iron.
• The Iron Age was recognized at different times in different parts of the world because the presence of iron and the
1. Reading activity
technologies to utilize iron appeared at different times in different parts of the world. In some parts of the world,
iron replaced bronze for making tools and weapons because iron was more durable than bronze. However, in other
parts of the world, like the UAE area, people continued to use bronze more than iron because they had easier
access to copper and the technology to convert copper into bronze.
• During the Iron Age, around 1,000 BCE, houses in the UAE area were made more and more of mudbrick. The
construction of mudbrick houses relied upon knowledge of which materials to use in the mudbricks and how to
design buildings so that they would last. Some of the buildings were still standing when archaeologists discovered
them 3,000 years later. The mudbrick houses that existed in al-Ain, Fujairah, Dubai or Sharjah 100 years ago are,
in many ways, the result of this initial mastery of construction.
• During the Iron Age in the UAE area, food was mostly the same as it had been earlier. People ate sheep, goats, and
cattle, and they hunted wild animals like gazelles and oryx. They obtained milk from domesticated animals. They
continued to catch fish and collect shellfish along the coast.
• Around 1,000 BCE, there was another slight reduction in rainfall in the UAE. Thus, the level of water under the
ground probably dropped and became even more difficult to reach. At the coastal town of Muweilah in the Sharjah
region, people used new types of wells that tapped the fresh water that lay above salty water. Even these sources would
have eventually been affected by declining rainfall. The inland springs would have dried up, too. In this situation, people
needed water from deeper underground and a system to transport it to the surface.
• The use of the falaj changed the crops that could be grown. There is evidence that sesame was cultivated, and this
could be used for making oil or flour. The herb basil and other plants were grown and cultivated in the small
gardens made possible with the falaj.
2. Concept video
• Where was the falaj system implemented in the UAE? Why is it important to
recognize and preserve world heritage sites?
• Why do you think the whole community had to help in the falaj system?
• What is the role of society in conserving water?
• How do you think that the underground channel of water saved water?
• Create a persuasive slogan for your community to save water.
• What do you think are the challenges to falaj system?
Think and answer!
• Why should we recognize and preserve world heritage sites, like the
Al Ain Oasis?
• Cultural and Historical Significance
• Educational and Research Value
• Tourism and Economic Benefits
• Environmental Conservation
Assessment 1. C
2. A
• How did having afalaj impact human life in the region around 1000 BCE?
A) New villages and towns started to settle in the coastal areas.
B) People could now transport goods through falaj.
C) Growing crops was still possible.
D) Increased dependability on sheep and other animals.
2. A: In the UAE area, people continued to use bronze more than iron.
R: had easier access to copper and the technology to convert copper into bronze.
E) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
F) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
G) A is true and R is false
H) A is false but R is true.
Extended learning
• Read about the ancient system of irrigation in India since the
Mauryan Empire.
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ancient-maury
an-technology-brings-water-hope-to-dry-magadh-in-bihar/st
ory-aMtlAukgnrYEFR4vjB1DrL.html
Choose any one
1. Answer the below questions in the organiser
given:
• How are these metals obtained?
• List some items made from each of them.
• Which one of them is most durable and why?
2. Research and compare the life of people in the
UAE in 1000BCE to the life of people in India
during iron age.
https://unacademy.com/content/karnataka-psc/s
tudy-material/history/early-iron-age/#:~:text=int
o%20the%20future.-,Dates%20of%20Early%20Iro
n%20Age%20In%20India,about%201500%20to%
20500%20BCE
Assessment 1. C
Below are statements for Assertion and Reason. Read and choose the most suitable option:
A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A 2. A & B
B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A 3. A
C) A is true and R is false
D) A is false but R is true.
1. A: The mudbrick houses that existed in al-Ain, Fujairah, Dubai or Sharjah 100 years ago are, in many ways, the result of this initial mastery of
construction.
R: During the bronze Age, around 5,000 BCE, houses in the UAE area were made more and more of iron.
2. Which of the below statements are true about the falaj water system?
E) The falaj was the solution for declining water after 1000BCE
F) It is an underground channel that carries fresh water from sources in the mountains and springs to where it is needed.
G) It was invented during the Umm-an-Nar period to get water from wells.
H) Community help was needed to derive water from falaj with a simple pulley system.
3. Which of the below statements is incorrect about the food in UAE during Iron Age?
I) food was not the same as it had been earlier.
J) People ate sheep, goats, and cattle.
K) they hunted wild animals like gazelles and oryx
L) They obtained milk from domesticated animals
