Tehran Times 1 August, 2004
Iranian archaeologists have unearthed part of an ancient mud-brick bridge in Shushtar, southern Iran.
They speculate the bridge was gradually buried over the ages and now they plan to completely disinter it for preservation purposes, possibly turning it into a tourist attraction, said Mohammad-Hossein Arastozadeh, head of Shushtar Waterfalls project.
Apart from the bridge, there are some remains of windmills left from the Sassanid era. Arastozadeh added the excavation will go on for another month.
In ancient times Shushtar was famous for its dams and irrigation systems. Three of the dams date back to Sassanid times, of which the largest was 550 meters long. The dam system fell apart through the 19th century. But even today, several waterwheels help run flour mills and produce electricity.
Shapour I after his great victory over the Roman Empire, set his captives to work building vast hydraulic works in Shushtar, including a large dam across the Karun River. Later, under the Mongols (13th–14th century), Shushtar was a beautiful and prosperous town. It was captured by Tamerlane in 1393 and by Shah Ismail in 1508. After the 18th century, it declined in importance. A serious outbreak of plague occurred there in 1876. |