"[7] The spring flows out of the limestone inside al-Mintar Mountain via nine hand-dug wells that feed into a 400-meter-long cave, or underground irrigation channel, known as a qanat.

[9] The spring went dry in 1994,[7] due to a combination of drought, over pumping, and neglect, but has been rehabilitated as the result of a joint Syrian–Russian restoration project and is flowing again as of 2019.

In one case at least, there were two chiefs at the same time...Duties of the appointees were no doubt related to the cult, but very likely they also supervised the distribution of water in the oasis, a task of utmost importance that was strictly regulated until very recently.

[6] In addition to the main Efqa spring, the water infrastructure of Tadmor used two other qanats, underground channels fed by aquifer layers west and north of the oasis.

[11] In an addition to providing water for the settlement, the water was distributed to farms on the outskirts that grew grain and vegetables for wealthy residents; itinerant shepherds were periodically allowed to graze and glean the enclosed fields since the goat and sheep manure that came with the herd was valuable fertilizer for next year's planting.