Towards the center of Iran, in Asadabad district of Hamedan province, there is a historic water well that clearly expresses its historic past. That structure is called “Shah Abbasi Reservoir” and is the second roofed reservoir in Iran. Asadabad Shah Abbasi Reservoir has another name, also known as “Sheikh Ali Khan Reservoir.”
Before going into details about the Asadabad reservoir, we should know more about this district. Asadabad is one of the districts of Hamedan province, with an ancient history and harsh winters. This district has three cities: Asadabad, Ajin and Paliz. In ancient writings, Asadabad is also known as Asadabad Afshar. his is because the nomads of Afshar tribe came to this part, in the past centuries and settled there. But, to trace the age of Asadabad district, it is sufficient to mention the village of Pir Malo, where human remains from 5600 years ago were found. Kurdish-speaking people live in this village. Asadabad city has more than a hundred tourist attractions. This itself explains the beauty and ancient history of this place.
The Shah Abbas reservoir (or Sheikh Alikhani) is in an old area in Asadabad city (northern part of Farhang street), which is called Darb Carvansara. Construction of this reservoir is assumed to be from Shah Abbas I (or II) period. This is because of the geometric shape of its structure, its brickwork, and its architecture. There was a marble stone painting on the reservoir wall in the past, which had the date of the 1173 lunar year. This date goes back to the time of Karim Khan Zand. It is believed that it was on this date that the reservoir was restored. This work was done at the request of Sheikh Ali Khan and with the help of someone named Qorami Gholam. This person is not known.
Shah Abbasi Reservoir is a rectangular structure with dimensions of 20 x 11 meters. It also has three parts. In the middle part, several square spaces can be seen. The roof of the structure is also shaped like an arch and a dome. Its brickwork is a rhombus. The city river supplies the water of this tank. Two cisterns have also helped in meeting the water requirements of the reservoir. Another point worth mentioning is that a canal was stretched from the outlet of the reservoir to the lands outside the city to help farmers irrigate their lands. In the construction of the reservoir structure, rubble and bricks have been used. A part of the wall is also made of stone. This historical reservoir was registered among the national works of Iran in 1382.
In conclusion, we should mention that the Shah Abbas reservoir differs from other historic reservoirs in Iran. Asadabad reservoir, as we mentioned, is rectangular, but other reservoirs have cylindrical spaces with a dome. The capacity of Shah Abbasi Reservoir is 500 cubic meters. Though this beautiful reservoir can be considered as one of the symbols for historical tourism in Asadabad, yet, it is more or less a forgotten symbol! If more attention is paid to it, it will increase the tourism potential of Asadabad city. Especially near this reservoir, there is a historical hot spring named Golestan, registered in the list of national structure, due to its longevity.
