Band-e Kaisar

Shadorvan Bridge-Dam

Address:
Upon the main body of Karun river, northwest of Shushtar, 300 meters sout of Band e Mizan, Khuzestan, Iran
Band-e Kaisar
  • Band-e Kaisar
  • Band-e Kaisar
About: Band-e Kaisar

The Shadorvan Bridge-Dam or Band-e Kaisar (“Caesar’s dam”) was a Roman arch bridge, and the first in the country to combine it with a dam. When the Sassanian Shah Shapur I defeated the Roman emperor Valerian, he is said to have ordered the captive Roman soldiers to build a large bridge and dam stretching over 500 metres. Lying deep in Persian territory, the structure which exhibits typical Roman building techniques became the most eastern Roman bridge and Roman dam. Its dual-purpose design exerted a profound influence on Iranian civil engineering and was instrumental in developing Sassanid water management techniques.

The approximately 500 m long overflow dam over the Karun, Iran’s most effluent river, was the core structure of the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, a large irrigation complex from which Shushtar derived its agricultural productivity, and which has been designated World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2009. The arched superstructure carried across the important road between Pasargadae and the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon. Many times repaired in the Islamic period, the dam bridge fell out of use in the late 19th century, leading to the degeneration of the complex system of irrigation.

This bridge along with 15 other historical water monuments in Shushtar was registered in the list of world monuments in the annual UNESCO World Heritage committee on 26th of June 2009 (5th of Tir 1388).

General Specifications
Name
Band-e Kaisar
Age
Sassanid era
Restoration
The last restoration was done in 2001 (1380 solar calendar)
Builder
Was built during the time of Sassanid Shapur II
UNESCO World Heritage
Suggestions
Best time to visit
Spring
Nearest tourist attractions
Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System
Access route
Address
Upon the main body of Karun river, northwest of Shushtar, 300 meters sout of Band e Mizan, Khuzestan, Iran
Facilities
Access to vehicles
Residence
Restaurant
Network coverage
Band-e Kaisar
User Comments