Hafir
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Hafirs were an important feature of the Meroitic civilization in the Butana and were often built in the immediate vicinity of temples, for example the Great Hafir near the Lion Temple in Musawwarat es-Sufra. 800 ancient and modern hafirs have been registered in the Butana. Some scholars assume that the hafirs near temples were a Meroitic policy to control pastoralists’ movements and collect taxes.
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Present-day
Hafirs are still constructed and used today in central Sudan and South Sudan. Today's hafirs hold between 10,000 m3 and 60,000 m3 of water mostly administered by village communities and are used for irrigation. Only the hafirs excavated by the government are also accessible to the herds of nomads.