Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Shushtar, Khuzestan Province, Iran

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The Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, in Shushtar, Khuzestan Province, Iran, is an ancient water‑management network dating back over 2,000 years and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.

It lies on the Karun River and includes a set of dams, bridges, tunnels, canals, water‑mills, and measuring towers that together form a complex irrigation system originally developed and expanded from the Achaemenid era through the Sasanian period. The system channels water from the river into two main diversion canals, one of which—the Gargar canal—still carries water to the city, power plants, and surrounding farmland, turning the plains into a vast fertile zone often called “Paradise.”

UNESCO describes it as a masterpiece of human creative genius and a remarkable example of how ancient engineering shaped agriculture and settlement in a hot, arid region while reflecting the blending of Elamite, Mesopotamian, Nabataean, and Roman technical know‑how.