Shushtar

Located in Khuzestan Province in Iran, Shushtar historical Hydraulic system (the watermills and waterfalls) is a complex irrigation system which was registered on the 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.

The watermills, and the waterfalls are located near GarGar river which is a branch of Karun River (Karun River is Iran’s longest, most surfeit and only navigable river and it is 950 km long. It has many tributaries and passes through Ahvaz, the capital of the Khuzestan Province).

Parts of Shushtar irrigation system are said to originally date back to the time of Darius the Great, the Achaemenian king of Iran, 5th century BC. 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.

The site includes a collection of dams, tunnels, auxiliary canals which were used for agricultural and economic purposes.

Dams and rivers of this area include the following:
Sharabdar Dam Bridge which is located in the south of Shushtar and was part of the city’s fence.
Band Mizan (Mizan Dam) which is a man-made structure dating back to the time of the Sassanids (226 AD.) This dam is between two branches of Karun River to regulate and divide the amount of water of the Karun River.
Shushtar Gargar Creek which is an artificial branch of the Karun River. It separates the Karun River in north of Shushtar and leads southward.
Shushtar Mahibazan Dam which was built on the lands of the historic city of Dasva to keep the water level high.
Dokhtar Dam (Girl dam) The “Girl Dam” is based on the last mountain passage through which the Karun River passes through it. Some people believe that the reason for naming it; The Girl dam is because of Anahita, the goddess of fertility in the Ancient Iran.

Shushtar waterfalls and watermills are incomparable examples of its kind, and amongst the most important and attractive sites of Iran. Many travelers have mentioned Shushtar historical hydraulic system in their books about Iran. The French archaeologist Jean Diulafova named the structure as “the largest industrial complex before the Industrial Revolution”.