Water scarcity which is a major challenge for agricultural production in rainfed lands of semi-arid regions can be affected by management methods. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of land use change on soil structure and soil water- retention capacity in some semi-arid areas. The experiment was conducted in seven areas with two types of land uses (pasture and cultivated land). In total twenty one soil samples (0-30 cm depth) were collected from study area and soil physical properties consist of particle size distribution, aggregate size and stability, bulk density, macroporosity, and hydraulic conductivity were determined in the lab. Rainwater retention was measured in erosion flumes (0.5 m × 1 m) under simulated rainfalls with 50 mm h-1 in intensity for 60 min. Based on the results, the soil textures were and there was seven textures (clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, silt loam, loam, sandy loam, and loamy sand. Land use change led to the loss of soil structure properties and the reduction of rainwater retention, especially in medium-textured soils such as loam, silty loam, and sandy loam. The lowest variation in rainwater retention was in loamy sand soil (0.1%) and the highest value was in silty loam soils (5.4%). There was a direct relationship between soil hydraulic conductivity and aggregate size (r= 0.44). This research showed that converting pastures to rainfed lands degrades soil structure and decreases soil infiltration as well as rainwater retention in semi-arid areas, particularly with medium soil textures.