Hydraulic infrastructures in South-western Iran during the Sasanian Period: some archaeological remarks

Abstract

On account of the peculiar geomorphological and geographical features of the Iranian territory,
water has always been a fundamental element of the Iranian landscape. Surface water and
groundwater reserves were extensively exploited during the Sasanian period - for freshwater supply
and to enhance the agricultural productivity - by means of public as well as private programmes of
management of the hydraulic issues. Focusing on archaeological evidence from South-western Iran
and stressing the extent to which the cultural landscape of Sasanian Iran was influenced by the
importance of water, this paper deals with topics related to the architecture and chronology of some
hydraulic infrastructures in Fars and Khuzestan.