Golpayegan Dam

Golpayegan Dam is another attraction of Golpayegan County. Dating from the early 14th century (Solar Hijri), it is one of the sights worth seeing in Golpayegan. Studies for the dam began in 1323 (SH), and it is regarded as Iran's first modern dam. Construction started in 1326 and the dam finally went into operation in 1336. It is a rockfill dam with an inclined clay core, built in the old manner of earthfill dams on a weak rock foundation. The dam was built to prevent flood damage and to supply irrigation water for 6,000 hectares of farmland in the region. Golpayegan Dam stands on the Anarbar River, also known as the Qomrud, and rises 57 meters above ground level.

In 1349–50 (SH), significant modifications were made to Golpayegan Dam. The dam crest was raised by 5 meters and the spillway crest by 7 meters, which increased the reservoir capacity from 28 million cubic meters to 42.5 million cubic meters. Overall, the Golpayegan Dam reservoir holds 45 million cubic meters of water, with a useful volume of 42 million cubic meters. The lake behind Golpayegan Dam contains fish such as perch, carp, river whitefish and trout, and its whitefish and trout are of very high quality.

Golpayegan Dam is located 23 kilometers southwest of the city of Golpayegan, near the village of Okhtkhavan, on the Anarbar River. Before the revolution, the dam was called "Shah Esmail Dam"; afterwards its name was changed to "Golpayegan Dam." Despite the many difficulties during construction, especially severe cold and heavy snowfall, the round-the-clock efforts of the builders paid off, and today the dam is considered one of the region's important sources of agricultural water. The total reservoir volume is 45 million cubic meters and its useful volume is 42 million cubic meters. In addition, Iran's first concrete "plug" (ball-shaped block) was built at this dam by Iranian specialists.