AVASH NEWS: The National Committee of Irrigation and Drainage of Iran has announced that four historic sites in Iran—including Sio-Se-Pol Bridge in Isfahan, Band-e-Amir in Fars, Shadorvan in Khuzestan, and the hydraulic structures of Siraf—have been inscribed in the WHIS register of historic irrigation structures.
Sio-Se-Pol Bridge was built over the Zayandehroud River and features 33 arches. It is 295 meters long and 14 meters wide.
Sio-Se-Pol, also known as Allah Verdi Khan Bridge, is the largest of the 11 historic bridges spanning the Zayandehroud, the largest river on the Iranian Plateau.
The bridge was built in the early 17th century by Mohammad Beik bin Hossein and was designed to function as both a bridge and a dam.
The bridge was constructed during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, the fifth ruler of Safavid Iran. It was built under the supervision of Allah Verdi Khan, the commander-in-chief of the Safavid armies, and was subsequently named after him.
Sio-Se-Pol [Sio-Se means the number 33 in Persian] is more than just a bridge; it represents a unique balance of architecture, art, and water engineering.
The structure is internationally recognized as one of Isfahan’s most prominent landmarks, while also serving as an important hydraulic structure designed to regulate and facilitate the flow of water.
The WHIS program is an International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) heritage initiative and should not be confused with inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Established in 2012, the program recognizes historic irrigation and drainage structures that are more than 100 years old and possess outstanding archival, technological, or historical value. Its objectives include documenting the evolution of irrigation across civilizations, preserving historic water infrastructure, and drawing lessons from traditional approaches to sustainable water management.
ICID currently lists 202 structures in its WHIS register from countries including Iran, China, India, Japan, Italy, and South Africa. Iran already has 12 structures listed in the register.
