Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System

{{short description|Complex irrigation system from the Sasanian era, island city Shushtar, Iran}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{Expand Farsi | سازه‌های_آبی_شوشتر|date=October 2015}}

{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

| WHS = Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System

| image = {{Photomontage

| photo1a = Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System Panorama.jpg {{!}}

|photo2a =Shushtar.jpg{{!}}

|photo2b =پل معروف به بند قیصر - شوشتر.jpg{{!}}

| photo3a =Shushtar Canyon.jpg{{!}}

| photo3b =آسیاب های آبی شوشتر.jpg{{!}}

| photo4a =Shushtar abshar night.JPG {{!}}

|photo4b = Band Mizan.JPG {{!}}

| photo5b =Irnq040-Shustar-Rzymakie budowle wodne.jpg{{!}}

| spacing = 2

| size = 266

| foot_montage =

}}

| image_upright = 1.2

| caption =

| location = Shushtar County, Khuzestan province, Iran

| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i), (ii), (v)}}(i), (ii), (v)

| ID = 1315

| coordinates = {{coord|32.0441|N|48.8585|E|display=title, inline|format=dec}}

| year = 2009

| area = {{convert|240.4|ha|acre|abbr=on}}

| buffer_zone = {{convert|1572.2|ha|acre|abbr=on}}

| locmapin = Iran#West Asia

| map_caption =

|Criteria=}}

The Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System ({{langx|fa|سازه‌های آبی شوشتر}}) is a complex irrigation system of the island city Shushtar from the Sasanian era. It consists of 13 dams, bridges, canals and structures which work together as a hydraulic system.

Located in Iran's Khuzestan province.[http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/shushtar.html Shushtar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604025444/http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/shushtar.html |date=4 June 2010 }}, world heritage sites, retrieved on 1 May 2010. It was registered on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 2009 and is Iran's 10th cultural heritage site to be registered on the United Nations' list.

This engineering masterpiece is unique both in Iran and in the world. The Sassanids, whose economy was mainly dependent on agriculture, developed extensive irrigation systems in this region.{{Cite web |last=followinghadrian |date=2020-10-24 |title=Shushtar |url=https://followinghadrianphotography.com/2020/10/24/shushtar/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=following hadrian photography |language=en}}

Infrastructure included water mills, dams, tunnels, and canals. Gargar Bridge-Dam was built on the watermills and waterfalls. Bolayti canal is situated on the eastern side of the water mills and water falls and functions to supply water from behind the GarGar bridge to the east side of water mills and channel the water to prevent damage to the water mills. Dahaneye shahr tunnel (city orifice) is one of the three main tunnels which channeled the water from behind the Gargar Bridge-Dam into the water mill and then run several water mills. Seh kooreh canal channels the water from behind the GarGar bridge into the western side. In the water mills and water falls, we can see a perfect model of haltering to run mills.

The Band-e Kaisar ("Caesar's dam"), an approximately {{convert|500|m|ft|adj=on}} long Roman weir across the Karun, was the key structure of the complex which, along with the Mizan Dam (Band-e Mizan), retained and diverted river water into the irrigation canals in the area.Length: {{harvnb|Hodge|1992|p=85}}; {{harvnb|Hodge|2000|pp=337f.}}; extensive irrigation system: {{harvnb|O'Connor|1993|p=130}} Built by a Roman workforce in the 3rd century AD on Sassanid order,{{harvnb|Smith|1971|pp=56–61}}; {{harvnb|Schnitter|1978|p=32}}; {{harvnb|Kleiss|1983|p=106}}; {{harvnb|Vogel|1987|p=50}}; {{harvnb|Hartung|Kuros|1987|p=232}}; {{harvnb|Hodge|1992|p=85}}; {{harvnb|O'Connor|1993|p=130}}; {{harvnb|Huff|2010}}; {{harvnb|Kramers|2010}} it was the most eastern Roman bridge and Roman dam{{harvnb|Schnitter|1978|p=28, fig. 7}} and the first structure in Iran to combine a bridge with a dam.{{harvnb|Vogel|1987|p=50}}

Parts of the irrigation system are said to originally date to the time of Darius the Great, an Achaemenid ruler. It partly consists of a pair of primary diversion canals in the Karun river, one of which is still in use today. It delivers water to the Shushtar city via a route of supplying tunnels.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} The area includes Salasel Castle, which is the axis for operation of the hydraulic system. It also consists of a tower for water level measurement, along with bridges, dams, mills, and basins.

Then it enters the plain south of the city, where its impact includes enabling the possibility of farming over the area called Mianâb and planting orchards.[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1315 Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System], UNESCO, Retrieved on 1 May 2010. In fact the whole area between the two diversion canals (Shutayt and Gargar) on Karun river is called Mianâb, an island having the Shushtar city at its northern end.C. J. Edmonds, East and West of Zagros, BRILL, 2009, {{ISBN|9004173447}}; Page 157.

The site has been referred to as "a masterpiece of creative genius" by UNESCO.[https://archive.today/20130129024231/http://news.in.msn.com/business/forbes/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3403037&page=7 Check out 13 emerging wonders of the world], msn news, Retrieved on 1 May 2010.