Merry Wanderer of the Night:
Iran

  • Iran: Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos

    Iran: Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos
    Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System is an island city from the Sassanid era with a complex irrigation system. Located in Khuzestan Province, the site was registered on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2009, as Iran’s 10th cultural heritage site to be registered on the United Nation’s list.

    Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos

    Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos
    Shushtar, Historical Hydraulic System, inscribed as a masterpiece of creative genius, 
    can be traced back to Darius the Great in the 5th century B.C. It involved the creation 
    of two main diversion canals on the river Kârun one of which, Gargar canal, is still 
    in use providing water to the city of Shushtar via a series of tunnels that supply 
    water to mills. It forms a spectacular cliff from which water cascades into a 
    downstream basin. It then enters the plain situated south of the city where it 
    has enabled the planting of orchards and farming over an area of 40,000 ha. 
    known as Mianâb (Paradise) [Credit: Mostafa Gholamnejad/
    Tasnim News Agency]

    The site dates back to the time of the Achaemenid king Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE. It involves two main diversion canals on the Karun River, one of which, Gargar canal, is still in use providing water to the city of Shushtar via a series of tunnels that supply water to mills.

    Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photosIran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos

    Iran's Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in photos
    The property has an ensemble of remarkable sites including the Salâsel Castel, the
     operation centre of the entire hydraulic system, the tower where the water level is measured, 
    damns, bridges, basins and mills. It bears witness to the know-how of the Elamites and 
    Mesopotamians as well as more recent Nabatean expertise and Roman building 
    influence [Credit: Mostafa Gholamnejad/Tasnim News Agency]

    The system forms a cliff from which water cascades into a downstream basin and enters south of the city enabling people in Shushtar to plant orchards and create farms over an area of 40,000 hectares.

    Source: Iran Front Page [December 25, 2014]

  • Iran: Belgium to return stolen artefacts to Iran

    Iran: Belgium to return stolen artefacts to Iran
    A court in Belgium has ruled that the country’s authorities restitute nine boxes of smuggled ancient Iranian artifacts along with a bronze pin stolen from an exhibition.

    Belgium to return stolen artefacts to Iran
    This file photo shows 2,700-year-old Persian silver drinking 
    cup Shir Dal [Credit: PressTV]

    An informed source at the Center of International Legal Affairs in Iran’s Presidential Office said on Tuesday that an appellate court in Belgium’s eastern city of Liège, situated nearly 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the capital, Brussels, has passed the final verdict in favor of the restitution of the Iranian heritage, IRNA reported.

    The source, whose name was not revealed, praised efforts made by Iranian legal experts and officials at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handcraft and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) for following up on the case.

    The contents of the nine boxes were looted over the past years from a 3000-year-old ancient site near the village of Khorvin, situated 80 kilometers (49 miles) northeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

    Following Iran's demand, the Brussels court ordered the seizure of the pieces and their preservation at the Museum of Brussels University, pending a final verdict.

    Since the boxes contained metal items that might have oxidized over time, Iranian officials asked Belgian officials to open the boxes in the presence of ICHTO representatives. The boxes were resealed after experts examined the contents.

    The ancient pin was stolen in December 2002 from the European tour of “7000 Years of Persian Art” during its run at St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent.

    Iranian officials have filed several other lawsuits in courts in Britain, France, Turkey, and Pakistan for the return of smuggled artifacts over the past years.

    Source: Press TV [December 24, 2014]