Assessment of soil and water based on ancient Iranian writing documents

Indigenous people have special talents and ability to learn how to use their experiences. This native knowledge originates from the interplay between society and the environment and is transmitted over generations. During the history of Persian writings, part of this knowledge has come to your attention and has been used for centuries. One of the most important sources for understanding agriculture and managing the water and soil in Iranian history is Ershad Al-Reza Aboonsiri Heravi's book, written in the year 921 AH at the end of the Timurid period. This book is the most famous agricultural book in Iranian history before the start of the new agricultural education in the early nineteenth century. This book is in fact the encyclopedia of agriculture. The topics of the book are comprehensively presented in clay, agriculture, horticulture, food industry, ornamental plants and garden design as eight sections. This book is an important source for getting acquainted with agriculture, herbs and its principles during the Islamic period. Native Iranian knowledge of highlevel agriculture was used by other nations in the past. The purpose of this paper is to review soil and water assessment methods for agriculture based on the text of this book. The topics of this book are about soil types, fertility and functional diagnostics. Analysis and interpretation of the second chapter shows that the predecessors have had many efficient and experimental methods for assessing water and soil, which today can also be exploited based on indigenous knowledge.