The valley itself is fed by the solitary Azna river which receives most of its water from the runoff of surrounding Qanats; the valley is surrounded by mountains which form a U-Shaped range, the highest peak is the Kuh-e-Velijeya rising to 3233 metres (10604 feet).
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The first structures were built close to the Qanats so that there would be a constant water supply to the fields and for household use, as the villages grew in size the construction of buildings occurred on stone built terraces, which sloped sharply towards the river, since the river could flood quickly during heavy rains much time and labour was devoted to the maintenance of damaged terraces.
If Galashkird is the now lost city it was described by Arab geographer Mukaddasi who described it as a strongly fortified town with a castle Kushah, and lush orchards and fields supported by extensive qanat irrigation.
The Cross of All Nations is a monumental cross located in Qanat Bakish, a locality close to the Lebanese town of Baskinta.
These wells feature an ox-driven pump where the ox walks in circles around a central drive shaft which turns a wheel that raises water via a chain of buckets from the qanat or a well.
The qanat appears to have provided water for a large Roman villa on the slopes of the Alzette valley.
The air flow across the vertical shaft opening creates a lower pressure (see Bernoulli effect) and pulls cool air up from the qanat tunnel below the house.