Shushtar, the Old capital of Khuzestan province

Shushtar, the Old capital of Khuzestan province

• Shushtar is a city in Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran. It’s situated at the foot of Zagros Mountains, about 90 km north of Ahvaz. 
• In most historical periods from Sassanid to Pahlavi, this city was the capital of Khuzestan province.
• Shushtar, Historical Hydraulic System, inscribed as a masterpiece of creative genius, can be traced back to Darius the Great in the 5th century B.C.
• This system has been registered in UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritage Sites in 2009, referred to “as a masterpiece of creative genius.”
• It involved the creation of two main diversion canals on the river Kârun one of which, Gargar canal, is still in use providing water to the city of Shushtar via a series of tunnels that supply water to mills.
• Shushtar historical hydraulic system is an interconnected set of bridges, weirs and dams, mills, water cascades, canals, and tunnels. Jane Dieulafoy, the famous French archeologist, in an account of her travels, has referred to this site as the largest industrial complex before the Industrial Revolution.
•  Shushtar historical hydraulic system is one of the masterpieces of civil engineering in the world.
• The Sassanids used the ancient water treatment techniques to share the water provided by Karun between different areas of Shushtar and even some other nearby cities.
• Parts of this hydraulic system are still working even after centuries.