Shushtar (Persian شوشتر ) is an ancient fortified village in the province of Khuzestan in southwestern Iran. 2009, the historic irrigation system of Shushtar was included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.
The ancient name of the city Šurkutir, which was mentioned on writing tablets at Persepolis, can be traced back to the Elamite period. The present name of the town refers to Susa ( pers: Shush ) and an increase of the name.
The city was located on the Persian royal road that connected the Elamite capital of Susa with the Achaemenid Persepolis. Alexander the Great crossed the Karun River in 331 BC at this point. In late antiquity, the city was an important center of Christianity.
During the reign of the Sassanids Shushtar was an island city on the Karun. This was led around in canals around the city. Bridges and gates on the east, west and south of the city made them accessible. An underground sewer system of Qanaten supplied the city with water for domestic use and for irrigation of sugarcane fields, for which the city is famous today and already 226 AD were built. Even at the Achaemenid period was here with the construction of artificial waterfalls on a tributary of the Karun, the Gargar River, has been started, which was continued under the Sassanids and claimed unusual construction techniques for the time. Even today, some of them still serve irrigation purposes.
After the defeat of Emperor Valerian in 260 AD, the Persian tradition, according to numerous Roman soldiers were used for development and expansion of the irrigation system of Shushtar. The resulting Band-e Kaisar ( " Caesar's dam " ), an original combination of arch bridge and weir, had a length of 500 m and is considered the easternmost Roman bridge and Roman dam. The multi-purpose plant exerted a profound influence on Iranian civil engineering and was instrumental in the development of the Sassanid water architecture.
More water mills originated during the reign of the Safavids, some of which are still preserved today.
In the 19th century the irrigation system gradually fell into disrepair, so the city forfeited its status as an agricultural center.
During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi efforts were made agriculture of the area would be reinvigorated. In this context, the Karun Agro- Industries Corporation established a satellite city, Shustar New Town ( New Shushtar ) to provide accommodation for the employees of the resulting sugar cane factory and to open the city's other growth opportunities.
Today, the town is also known for its opportunities in the field of water sports.
The inhabitants speak a Schuschtars them own dialect, called Schuschtari.