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Band-e Kaisar
Band-e Kaisar | |
|---|---|
 Remains of the dam bridge | |
| Coordinates | 32°03′14″N 48°50′55″E / 32.0538°N 48.8485°E |
| Carried | Sassanid road Pasargadae−Ctesiphon |
| Crossed | Karun river |
| Locale | Shushtar, Iran |
| Other name(s) | Pol-e Kaisar, Bridge of Valerian, Shadirwan |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Weir with bridge superstructure |
| Material | Sandstone ashlar, Roman concrete |
| Total length | Ca. 500 m |
| Longest span | 9 m |
| No. of spans | 40+ |
| History | |
| Designer | Roman engineers |
| Constructed by | Shapur I |
| Construction start | Ca. 260–270 AD |
| Collapsed | 1885 |
| Official name | Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, v |
| Designated | 2009 (33rd session) |
| Reference no. | 1315 |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Location | |
 | |
The Band-e Kaisar (Persian: بند قیصر, "Caesar's dam"), Pol-e Kaisar ("Caesar's bridge"), Bridge of Valerian or Shadirwan was an ancient arch bridge in the city of Shushtar, Khuzestan province, Iran, and the first in the country to combine it with a dam.[1] Built by the Sassanids during the 3rd century CE, using Roman prisoners of war as the workforce,[2] it is the easternmost example of Roman bridge design and Roman dam.[3] Its dual-purpose design exerted a profound influence on Iranian civil engineering and was instrumental in developing Sassanid water management techniques.[4]
The approximately 500m long overflow dam over the Karun, Iran's most effluent river, was the core structure of the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (سازههای آبی شوشتر) from which the city derived its agricultural productivity.[5] The arched superstructure carried across the important road between Pasargadae and the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon.[6] Repaired repeatedly throughout the Islamic period,[7] the dam bridge remained in use until the late 19th century.[8] In 2009, it was designated by UNESCO as Iran's 10th World Heritage Site.[9]
- ^ Vogel 1987, p. 50
- ^ Smith 1971, pp. 56–61; Schnitter 1978, p. 32; Kleiss 1983, p. 106; Vogel 1987, p. 50; Hartung & Kuros 1987, p. 232; Hodge 1992, p. 85; O'Connor 1993, p. 130; Huff 2010; Kramers 2010
- ^ Schnitter 1978, p. 28, fig. 7
- ^ Impact on civil engineering: Huff 2010; on water management: Smith 1971, pp. 60f.
- ^ Length: Hodge 1992, p. 85; Hodge 2000, pp. 337f.; extensive irrigation system: O'Connor 1993, p. 130
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hartung & Kuros 1987, 232was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hartung & Kuros 1987, 246was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hodge 1992, p. 85; Hodge 2000, pp. 337f.
- ^ Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, UNESCO, retrieved on 1 May 2010
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