Semnan preserves its ancient Para water system
Semnan, with its temperate-arid climate and proximity to Mahdishahr, Damghan, Sorkheh, and Iran’s central desert, has long provided fertile ground for the emergence of ancient innovations. Para is one of the most remarkable manifestations of this ingenuity, rooted in the city’s natural conditions and in the ways local people have historically adapted to their environment.
Javad Tayebi, a journalist, noted that although Semnan lies between the humid region of Mazandaran and the arid expanse of the Dasht-e Kavir (Kavir Desert) and might therefore be expected to enjoy a mild and pleasant climate, the great height of the Alborz Mountains in this area prevents moisture and vapor from the Caspian Sea from passing through. As a result, dry winds and the intense heat of the desert freely influence the city’s weather, making winters cold and summers excessively hot, while rainfall occurs only rarely during winter and early spring, according to chtn.ir.
Drinking water in Semnan is supplied from springs in the Shahmirzad and surrounding farmlands, while in other parts of the city it comes from qanats. Overall, water scarcity is evident throughout the region. The unpaved road from Damghan extends nearly to the Kavir Desert, while the unpaved road from Semnan to Damghan passes roughly through the middle of the city, and the railway runs close to its far end. There are no permanent rivers in the area; only dry mountain streams flow during rainfall, producing flash floods that eventually reach the Dasht-e Kavir. The most important of these is the Golrudbar River, which has several branches.
Given these conditions, the ancestors of Semnan sought innovative ways to maximize the limited water resources in this desert city and established a traditional water distribution system.
The traditional water distribution system in Semnan dates back approximately 1,000 years. About seven hundred years ago, Sheikh Ala al-Dowleh Semnani, a leader during the Ilkhanid period who later became a renowned mystic in Iran, organized and engineered this system — a system that continues to function to this day.
The water distributor, locally known in Semnan’s traditional irrigation system as Para, is located north of the city. Due to the sloping terrain, water from the Golrudbar River flows rapidly into the first reservoir. There are six of these reservoirs, each positioned at a higher level than the previous one, forming a stepped arrangement. Along the length of each reservoir, wooden channels are installed, through which water flows into the next reservoir. There are six such channels in total. As water enters each reservoir, its speed and intensity gradually decrease, so that by the last reservoir, almost all of the water’s initial force is dissipated, and it flows at a normal, gentle pace.
The system works as follows: water from the Golrudbar River enters the city from the north and then flows into six water storage reservoirs, each of which has a name derived from the historical neighborhoods to which its water is directed. The system, with its highly complex and efficient rules for dividing water, managed through careful calculations and an active administrative organization, ensured that the needs of farmers and residents were consistently met.
Importantly, the system was never under the direct control of ruling governments. Instead, it was always managed by local farmers and residents. In fact, in this system, water had a legal identity, similar to movable and immovable property, and could be bought and sold. Those entitled to it held official registration documents. This ownership, like that of a house, garden, or land, could be transferred through sale, lease, or inheritance, and often became part of a dowry for brides.
The irrigation system of Semnan is based on reservoirs and a rotational schedule for water allocation to each individual, following a specific organizational system. Its method of water distribution is older than systems such as the Zayandeh Rud River water distribution in Isfahan, which is attributed to Sheikh Baha’i. What distinguishes Semnan’s system from similar ones in other Iranian cities is that, despite gradual developments over the centuries, it is still in use by the local population today.
Para (the water distributor) dates back to the post-Islamic historical period and is located in the Golestan Township of Semnan. This site was registered as one of Iran’s National Heritage Sites on April 29, 2003.