Tabas is one of the old and beautiful cities of Iran, which is one of the best destinations for tourism in South Khorasan province due to its historical and natural attractions. It is interesting to know that this vast city dates back to the Achaemenid period and according to Mojo documents shows that this city also existed in the pre-Islamic and Sassanid periods. The interesting thing you should know about Tabas city is that Tabas was a city in Khorasan province in the past, which was handed over to Yazd province in 2001 in some divisions, but in 1391 AH this city was returned to South Khorasan. There are spectacular attractions in this city, one of which is Shah Abbasi Dam. This dam is one of the great examples of Iranian creativity in times when facilities and equipment were not available.
Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas as mentioned above, is a unique and creative example of Iranians hundreds of years ago, which is now considered as an attractive and spectacular attraction for tourists and this historical region. Shah Abbasi Dam or Abbasi Arch is located in Tabas city and is considered as one of its historical monuments. The interesting thing about Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas is that it has won several titles, including the oldest and largest arched dam in the world, which apart from these cases could have been the tallest dam for 550 years. But the superiority of the Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas does not end here, as no dam has yet been able to win the title of the thinnest dam due to its one-meter-wide crown. This dam is about 60 meters high and its length is 25 meters. In fact, this dam is one of the most unique buildings that shows the creativity and foresight of Iranians in ancient times.
In order to visit Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas, you must travel to Tabas; For this purpose, you must first travel to the 700-year-old village of Khoro, 27 kilometers from the city of Tabas, somewhere near the Morteza Ali hot spring. Above Morteza hot spring, there is a narrow valley where the Shah Abbasi arch is built. The antiquity of this arch is attributed to the Safavid period and it is believed that the mountain goat inscriptions engraved on it are a symbol of the demand for abundance of water, fertility and abundance of blessings. Some people consider these goats as a symbol of angels who pray to guard and increase the water, and also abundance of blessings on the walls of the arch. The age of these lithographs is not known, but experts say they are more than 7,000 years old.
In the narrow valleys of Tabas city, the Iranians built dams on brick arches in ancient times and They needed deviations during the construction of a high structure. This creative method is combined with the function of maximum flood reduction in Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas. Floods pass freely under the arch with a return period of 10 years. In larger floods, some of the flood volume is stored behind the dam, so for hundreds of years, the Abbasi Dam has protected the city of Tabas from floods in the Nahrin River.
The precision and creativity of the Iranians at that time to build the Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas was so great that due to the location of the dam, no sediment is stored behind the dam. Under these circumstances, we can expect this unique structure to continue to function for thousands of years without the need for maintenance. The important point is that if today, based on the latest achievements of dam and flood engineering, a dam is built to control the flood of the Nahrin River, its characteristics will be very close to the Abbasi Dam.
In the lower parts of Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas, there are brick arches, which are located on rocky mountains on both sides of the river, and the height of the arch under its edges is 17 meters and its height is 30 meters. This arch is the oldest part of the building, which its two parts in terms of the time of its construction, especially from the back of the arch are well visible. The remarkable point is how the bricks of this dam are placed, which is not limited to a certain width, but continues radially to the body of the mountain, creating an arch with great resistance, and the upper part of the dam, which is made of rubble. At the top of the dam, the arched shape of the dam is more so that it can withstand the pressure of floods and water in general in a wider width of the valley mouth. This point is one of the most remarkable solutions that Iranian architects have observed due to the special intelligence and tact they intended to build the Shah Abbasi Dam in Tabas. According to the available evidence, it is probably the last reconstruction that was done by the order of Shah Abbas.
