Resilience of the Parse-Pasargadae World Heritage Sites Against Environmental Crises Using Achaemenid Creativity and Traditional Knowledge
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Drought and excessive water extraction resulting from the agricultural policies of past decades in the plains of Marvdasht and Pasargadae have led to cracks, sinkholes, and a spongy soil texture, ultimately causing a general subsidence of the plains' surface.These phenomena pose a significant threat to the historic region and valuable world heritage sites.Today, revisiting the creativity employed to manage or overcome the destructive impacts of the natural environment can serve as a model for overcoming regional crises.The main objective of this research is to understand the creativity and traditional knowledge during the Achaemenid period in order to overcome environmental crises.The essential question is: what role did the traditional engineering and knowledge of this period play in managing crises such as floods and earthquakes?In general, ensuring sustainable water resources in the Parse-Pasargadae region, as a crucial part of the Achaemenid Empire, was of great importance.The development of agriculture in these areas was dependent on the enhancement of irrigation systems to supply water for cultivated lands.Thus, Achaemenid designers and engineers, to manage droughts a constant crisis in the semi-arid regions of Iran and to overcome seasonal flash floods, designed and implemented an extensive system of water control, storage, and transfer across the plains of Pasargadae and Marvdasht.Understanding these integrated water systems today can reveal the roots of heritage resilience over time, offering valuable lessons.Additionally, considering the region's seismic activity, employing appropriate engineering in the selection, transport, and implementation of materials including the use of large stone blocks in architecture, multi-layered stone foundations and floors, and enhancing the load-bearing capacity of building bases was among the creative methods used to increase the stability of structures.This study was conducted based on field investigations and the review of relevant historical documents and records.Through necessary analyses, efforts were made to elucidate the role of engineering in the Achaemenid period in overcoming environmental challenges.The results of the research indicate that understanding and reapplying past technical knowledge can not only restore and sustain human coexistence with the natural environment and its hazards but also provide suitable solutions for protecting the content of heritage resources, ensuring their authenticity.
Source: Athar
DOI: 10.66224/45.107.1
Language: Persian
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203708433