The Khalifa Hasan Irrigation System in Tajikistan and the Dargom and Shohrud Canals in Uzbekistan have been designated World Irrigation Heritage Sites (WHIS) ​​for 2026 and included in the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Register. This status is granted to historic irrigation and drainage structures of outstanding engineering, economic, and cultural value. All three canals remain operational and an important part of the country’s water management system.

The Khalifa Hasan Irrigation System has been in operation for over 400 years, maintaining its economic and cultural significance. Its uniqueness lies in the combination of its irrigation heritage and historical memory: the name of Khalifa Hasan is enshrined in the names of the canal, jamoat, and settlements in the Panjakent Valley. The 48-kilometer-long canal irrigates over 3,500 hectares of land in the Panjakent district of Tajikistan’s Sughd region.

The Dargom Canal is one of the oldest operating irrigation systems in Central Asia. Its construction dates back to the 5th–4th centuries BC. For over two millennia, the canal provided water to the Samarkand oasis and contributed to the development of irrigated agriculture, cities, and settlements in the Zeravshan Valley. Stretching approximately 102 km, the canal serves approximately 178,000 hectares in the Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions. Its system includes 146 hydraulic structures and 12 gauging stations. Having preserved its historical alignment and gravity-fed water supply, the Dargom remains a vital element of Uzbekistan’s water distribution system.

The Shohrud Canal , believed to have been built in the 3rd–4th centuries CE, played a key role in the formation of the Bukhara Oasis and the development of Bukhara. Over the centuries, it supplied water to irrigated lands, orchards and vineyards, artisan and residential areas, and the city’s hauzas. The Shohrud is closely linked to the historic center of Bukhara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nominations were submitted by the National Irrigation and Drainage Committees of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with the assistance of the Scientific and Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Water Coordination (NIC ICWC) on the basis of the Expert Platform for Advanced Research in Water Security and Sustainable Development (EPIS) and the IKI project “Regional Mechanisms for Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Transformation of the Energy-Water-Land Nexus in Central Asia . ”

The 2026 World Irrigation Heritage Sites will be inaugurated at the 77th meeting of the ICID International Executive Council, which will be held from 12 to 17 October 2026 in Marseille, France.

Find out more:

About the Expert Platform for Advanced Research in Water Security and Sustainable Development (EPIS)

About the IKI project “Regional mechanisms for low-carbon and climate-resilient transformation of the energy-water-land nexus in Central Asia” .

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