The canal system of Ju-i Dokhtar: new insight into water management in the eastern part of the Pasargadae plain (Fars, Iran)

Abstract

Within the territory of the ancient province of Persia, which corresponds approximately to the present-day region of Fars in southern Iran, numerous remains of hydraulic structures are known and reported. These have rarely benefitted from detailed studies, however, which results in functional uncertainties and unconfirmed chronological suggestions, including in particular hasty attributions to the Achaemenid period. The territory of the plain of Pasargadae, situated at the center of this province, was well suited to irrigated agriculture, exemplified by the famous gardens created in the capital of Cyrus in the first period of the Achaemenid Empire. As the region is situated in a mountainous and semi-arid environment, irrigation is necessary for regular agricultural production throughout the year. The region of Pasargadae contains many hydraulic features that are relatively well preserved. However, their dating and their functions still remain unclear, which has stimulated new research and examination of all the evidence concerning the hydraulics, using a combination of methods and approaches, including systematic regional mapping, photo-interpretation, precise topographic readings, and dating experimentation through OSL analyses. This article presents a synthesising study of the remains of the Ju-i Dokhtar canal and the dam of Sa’adatshahr, which is located at the outlet of the canal. These structures probably formed the backbone of a system of water exploitation, that included all of the south-east part of the plain of Pasargadae and the plain of Sa’adatshahr further downstream.