Zayandeh River as it passes under "33 pol" in Isfahan.
'Zayandeh River' (Persian: 'Zayandeh Rud', from ''Zayandeh'' “life giving†''Rud'' “riverâ€) (formerly 'Zendehrood') is the largest river on the central plateau of
Iran,
Isfahan Province.
The Zayandeh starts in the
Zagros Mountains and travels eastward before ending in the
Gavkhouni swamp, a seasonal salt lake, southeast of
Esfahan city. The Zayandeh has significant flow all year long, unlike many of Iran's rivers which are seasonal. The Zayandeh is spanned by many historical
Safavid era bridges, and is flows through many parks.
The Zayandeh River basin has an area of , altitude from to , an average rain fall of and a monthly average temperature of to . There are of irrigated land in the Zayandeh River basin, with water derived from the nine main
hydraulic units of the Zayandeh River, wells,
qanat and
springs in lateral valleys. Zayandeh River water gives life to the people of central Iran mainly in
Isfahan and
Yazd provinces. Water diverted per person is 240L/day in urban and 150L/day in villages
[1]. The flow of the river has been estimated at per annum, or per second.
[2]
History
People have lived on the banks of Zayandeh River for thousands of years. An ancient pre-historic culture, the
Zayandeh River Civilization, flourished along banks of this river in the 5th Millennium BC.
Zayandeh River crosses the city of
Esfahan, a major cultural and economic center of
Iran. In the 17th century,
Shaikh Bahai (an influential scholar and adviser to
Safavid dynasty), designed and built a system of canals (''maadi''), to distribute Zayandeh River water to Esfahan's suburbs. Water from the Zayandeh River helped the growth of the population and the economy, helped established
Esfahan as an influential center, and gave a green landscape to Esfahan, a city in the middle of a desert.
Arthur Pope (an American archaeologist and historian of
Persian art) and his wife Phyllis Ackerman are buried in a small tomb in pleasant surroundings in its banks.
Richard Frye (an American scholar of Iranian and Central Asian Studies) has also requested to be buried there.
[3]
Water use and division
Until the 1960s in Isfahan Province the distribution of water followed the ''Tomar'', a document claimed to date from the 16th Century. The ''Tomar'' divided the flow of the Zayandeh River into 33 parts which were then specifically allotted to the eight major districts within the region.
[4] At the district level the water flow was divided either on a time basis, or by the use of variable weirs, so that the proportion could be maintained regardless of the height of the flow.
For centuries Esfahan city had been an oasis settlement, noted for its surrounding fertile lands and prosperity. Until the 1960s industrial demand for water were minimal, which enabled the scarce water resources to be utilized entirely for agricultural production. With a growing population within the basin, and rising standards of living particularly within the city, the pressure on water resources steadily increased until the division of water ''Tomar'' was no longer feasible. The creation of large steel works and other new industries demanded water.
The
Chadegan Reservoir
dam project in 1972 was a major hydroelectric project to help with stabilizing water flow and to provide generation of electricity. The dam was initially named Shah Abbas Dam after
Shah Abbas I, the most influential king of the
Safavid dynasty, but it was changed to Zayandeh Dam after the
Islamic revolution in 1979. Since 1972, the Chadegan Reservoir has helped prevent seasonal flooding of the Zayandeh River.
80% of Zayandeh River water is consumed for agriculture, 10% for human consumption (drinking and domestic needs of a population of 4.5 million), 7% for industry (like the
Zobahan-e-Esfahan and
Foolad Mobarekeh steel companies and Isfahan's
petrochemical, refinery and power plants) and 3% for other uses. There have been a number of tunnel projects (
Koohrang) to redirect water from the
Karun river (Iran's largest river that also starts in the Zagros Mountains), to the Zayandeh. These have helped provide water for the growing population and new industries in both
Isfahan and
Yazd provinces.
Bridges
There are several new and old bridges (''pol'') over the Zayandeh River. The oldest,
Shahrestan, built in 5th century AD, continues to be used today for pedestrian crossing in Sharestan village.
'Bridges on Zayandeh River in Esfahan:'
Recreation
In the section of the Zayandeh River crossing
Esfahan, bridges, parks, paddle boats and traditional cafes and restaurants amongst the rest of Esfahan rich cultural heritage, are major tourist attractions for Iranian as well as international visitors.
External Links
Map on Encarta
Notes
1. "Zayandeh River Basin Short Profile" International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka
2. Beaumont, Peter (October 1974) "Water Resource Development in Iran" ''The Geographical Journal'' 140(3): pp. 418-431, p. 427
3. Staff (18 April 2005) "American Iranologist Wills wants to be Buried in Isfahan, Iran" ''Cultural Heritage News Agency'' Iran
4. Beaumont, Peter (October 1974) "Water Resource Development in Iran" ''The Geographical Journal'' 140(3): pp. 418-431, p. 421
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