Kebar Dam South Spillway Extension (Kebar Secondary Spill)
Kebar South Spillway · Kebar Secondary
Mongol Ikhanid–early Timurid (1300–1400 CE) original; Safavid extension 1680·Ilkhanid–Safavid·🇮🇷 Qom Province, Kahak County, Kebar Gorge south bank secondary spillway, Iran
About
About Kebar Dam South Spillway Extension (Kebar Secondary Spill)
South-bank secondary spillway extension 0.4 km south of main Kebar arch dam (26 m high, 55 m crest, oldest surviving arch dam c.1300, already in DB as kebar-dam-qom-iran) at 1,520 m. Extension: dry-masonry spill channel 2.8 m wide 18 m long cut through conglomerate ridge with 1.5-m wing walls, discharging to Kebar River bypass 22 m below dam toe. Safavid 1680 inscription on wing wall records Shah Suleiman reconstruction after 1667 flood overtopping main spill. Channel still transmits monsoon spate; main dam reservoir 500,000 m3 silted 70%. Distinct spillway avoids arch overtopping — earliest known secondary spill concept.
Why it mattersKey hydraulic illustrating Ilkhanid–Safavid hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Qom Province, Kahak County, Kebar Gorge south bank secondary spillway.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Secondary spill concept origin
Theories
- 01Safavid arch protection philosophy
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1300 CE (Kebar main ca.1300 oldest arch); south spill 1680
- Period
- Mongol Ikhanid–early Timurid (1300–1400 CE) original; Safavid extension 1680
- Culture
- Ilkhanid–Safavid
- Purpose
- Secondary spillway-extension relieving Kebar arch dam during Safavid reconstruction
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1300 CE (Kebar main ca.1300 oldest arch); south spill 1680
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
34.2500° N · 51.0500° E · 1520 m · 3 mapped features
South Spill Channel (18 m)
spillway18-m 2.8-m-wide ridge-cut spill channel
34.2510° N · 51.0510° EWing Walls with Safavid Inscription (1680)
inscription1.5-m wing walls with Shah Suleiman inscription
34.2520° N · 51.0520° EBypass Fall 22 m to Kebar River
hydraulic22-m fall to river bypass below dam toe
34.2490° N · 51.0490° E