Bidvaz Dam, Esfarayen

Located 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Esfarayen in North Khorasan Province, the Bidvaz Dam (also known as the Esfarayen Dam) is a rockfill dam with a clay core, built on the Bidvaz River. The dam is 80 meters high from its foundation and has a crest length of 104 meters, with a reservoir capacity of 52.9 million cubic meters. It was built mainly to supply drinking water to the city of Esfarayen and to irrigate more than 6,000 hectares of farmland in the region. The Bidvaz Dam also plays an important role in controlling floods and preventing damage caused by overflowing rivers.

The area around the Bidvaz Dam has a temperate mountain climate. Its vegetation includes species such as wormwood (Artemisia), astragalus (gon), camel thorn, plantain, yarrow, wild rue (esfand) and barberry. At higher elevations, trees and shrubs such as pistachio, pomegranate, fig, ash (zaban-gonjeshk), hawthorn and wild pear are scattered across the slopes. This variety of plants provides a suitable habitat for many animal species and has made the area one of the unspoiled and scenic spots of North Khorasan.

The Bidvaz Dam is important not only economically and environmentally but is also known as a tourist attraction. Visitors can enjoy activities such as nature tours, landscape photography, outdoor picnics and the peace of the lake. Thanks to its location and natural beauty, the Bidvaz Dam is a good destination for nature lovers and travellers in North Khorasan.