A hafir, or haffir, is an artificially constructed water catchment basin with a circular earthen wall and diameters of between 70-250 m and heights of up to 7 m.[1] Adapted to semi-desert conditions,[2] the hafirs catch the water during the rainy season to have it available for several months during the dry season to supply drinking water, irrigate fields and water cattle.[3] It is used in central Sudan from time immemorial.
- ^ M.Hinkel; The Water Reservoirs in Ancient Sudan; in: Bonnet (ed.) 1994; Études nubiennes vol. II, Genève pp. 171-175.
- ^ Hafirs in Sudan Archived 2017-11-02 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Fritz Hintze, Kush XI; pp.222-224.