Salmiya

A couple of months ago, a friend sent me a picture of the Zayandeh Rud in Esfahan which had more or less vanished at that time. A dam west of the city had been closed in the summer because of the severe drought in recent years. The water, which in any case evaporates in the desert in the Batlaq-e Gaykhunia, a huge marsh area about one hundred kilometers east of Esfahan, was urgently needed for agriculture. When I visited Esfahan in December, the riverbed was filled again, even though not to levels I had seen before. The bridges over the river are world-famous. The river banks are carefully gardened, beautiful parks in the tradition of Persian Paradise gardens. They invite to stroll, rest, meet other people, let the children play, have a picnic. In fact, you may see married and even unmarried couples (although, you'll never know). It is a six kilometers walk from Marnan Bridge in the west to Sharestan Bridge in the east, but when the weather is fine, a very pleasant trip. ...

Today, a friend sent me these two pictures showing the Zayandeh Rud in Esfahan and the famous Si-o-Seh Pol (literally 33 arches), one of Esfahan's Safavid bridges . The river has almost disappeared due to little rain during winter and spring this year and because a dam west to Esfahan has been closed. Farmers need more water for irrigation and even drinking water supply is endangered in the Esfahan province.