The ancient Korit Dam is located 60 km southeast of Tabas in the heart of the western slopes of the Shotori Mountain Range and is accessed via the Tabas-Deyhuk road toward the village of Chiruk. This dam is one of the most unique cultural-historical and geoarchaeological attractions of Tabas Geopark. It is also considered as one of the greatest engineering achievements of Iran and the world, reflecting the deep knowledge of our ancestors about sustainable land development, dam site selection, flood control, and optimal use of water in desert areas. Korit Dam was built in very overwhelming and hard conditions due to the difficult access route. Its height is 60 meters with a crown length of about 50 meters, and more interestingly, its thickness does not exceed 1.5 meters. In fact, it is known as the oldest, tallest, and thinnest arched dam in the world. The Tibi Dam in Spain, with a height of 48 meters, is the second most historic and tallest dam in the world after Korit Dam. The former head of the International Committee of Large Dams (ICOLD) called the Korit Dam “the most amazing human achievement of the Middle Ages”. The presence of geological phenomena around this dam such as Kal-e-Tafto and Kal-e-Moudar (Kal means valley), folds and Jamal cave along with high views of Shotori Mountain and its wildlife multiplies its geotourism as well as ecotourism value.
Regarding the exact history of the construction of this dam, various theories have been presented so far, the most important of which are:
Daneshdoust writes in his book Tabas The Town That Was: It is possible that Korit Dam was repaired in the middle of the fifth century and suggests that its construction may be older than this date. In addition, there are documents about the construction of this dam among the Zoroastrians of Yazd. If this dam was built by Zoroastrians, the time of its creation can be traced back to before the Islamic era.
Other researchers such as Hartung and Kuros (1987) and Schnitter (1994) have attributed the construction of this dam to the Mongol period in 1350 AD. But Emami (2014) argues that the area was so far away from the horrific Mongol invasions and massacres that there was no such a strong incentive to build the greatest engineering achievement in the Middle Ages with primitive tools. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Mongols destroyed many hydraulic structures in their attacks and could not such an extraordinary structure in the Tabas region. In addition, since the construction of the Korit Dam, the residents of the village of Korit have been solely responsible for the reconstruction, repair, and operation of the dam.
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