TEHRAN - The director of the UNESCO-listed Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System has called for the ancient Iranian city of Shushtar to become a global model for linking culture, history and economic development, following ceremonies marking Iran’s Cultural Heritage Week.

Speaking to Miras-e Aria Atefeh Rashnoei, director of the Shushtar World Heritage base, described the southwestern Iranian city as “a living civilizational system” rather than merely a historical urban center. She said the preservation and future prosperity of Shushtar depended not only on the protection of monuments but also on sustaining the city’s cultural dynamism.

“Cultural Heritage Week has ended, but the glory of Shushtar’s name, under the shadow of its world heritage, shines brighter than ever,” Reshnouei said. “The survival of this ancient city is tied not only to its architectural structures, but also to the living culture flowing through this land.”

Rashnoei praised what she described as unprecedented cooperation among cultural activists, local officials, investors and scholars during the heritage events held in the city. She said strategic support from provincial authorities and the Khuzestan department of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts had enabled a broad range of cultural activities and laid the groundwork for future development initiatives.

She also emphasized the role of local residents in safeguarding the city’s identity and historical assets. “The people of Shushtar are the true guardians of this ancient land,” she said, adding that recent programs represented “the beginning of a major path toward recreating our urban identity.”

The official said authorities aim to transform Shushtar into an international example of how heritage conservation can be integrated with economic growth and cultural development.

Located in Khuzestan province, the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2009 as “a masterpiece of creative genius.” The vast hydraulic complex, parts of which date back to the reign of Darius the Great in the fifth century B.C., represents one of the ancient world’s most sophisticated water management systems.

The system reached its current form during the Sasanian era in the third century CE and includes dams, bridges, canals, tunnels, mills and irrigation structures designed to control and distribute water from the Karun River. UNESCO has described the site as exceptional for both its engineering scale and its multiple functions, including urban water supply, agriculture, transportation and defense.

Among its most prominent structures is the Shadorvan bridge-dam, which historical accounts described as a wonder of the ancient world. The Gargar canal, an artificial waterway constructed to irrigate surrounding plains and support urban expansion, remains one of the system’s defining features.

Historians believe the hydraulic network reflects a synthesis of Elamite, Mesopotamian and Roman engineering traditions, illustrating centuries of technological exchange across the ancient Near East.

Today, the hydraulic structures remain deeply integrated into Shushtar’s urban and rural landscape, continuing to shape both the city’s identity and its tourism economy.
AM