Half a century, or maybe even more, had [passed, and the shir Charharsogh reservoir was forgotten, when suddenly one day, attention was drawn to it; the historical value of this structure came to light and finally restoration work began. Upon this second look, people noted that this reservoir is standing firm on its foundations despite all the neglect and unkindness. And thus, in one of the day in Dey 1399, this reservoir was reopened, and from then onwards, care was taken to preserve it.
Shir Chaharsogh Reservoir has another name also; Eshagh Khan Reservoir. It is built in Torbat Heidariyeh, Khorasan Razavi province. Its name is reminiscent of a crossroads called Shir Chaharsogh, which has disappeared in new street constructions, and no trace of it can be found.
In Torbat Heidariyeh there is no reservoir larger than Chaharsogh. It was built in the same place where the city center used to be in times far away from our time. Its entrance is in front of a bazaar, which was a place of much traffics and transactions and was known to be crowded. In that commotion, Chaharsogh reservoir continued its quiet life; until gradually, with change of lifestyle, it was forgotten; or better said: ignored.
We mentioned that another name for this structure was Eshagh Khan Reservoir. Eshagh Khan Qaraei was the ruler of Torbat Heydarieh during the Qajar era. In 1211 (1832), one year before his death, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar built this water reservoir and endowed a part of the water from Torbt Heidariyeh city to it. Some have also written that the construction of the Chaharsogh reservoir was ordered by one of the descendants of Eshagh Khan. Torbat Heidariyeh was prosperous in those days, with schools, thermal baths, caravanserais, and a covered market. Chaharsogh (crossroad) connected all these structures.
Charsogh reservoir, like other water storage structures, is formed from parts such as a tank, pashir (space where the tap is installed) and aerator, and it covers an area of 300 meters. Five columns support the roof of the structure. The taps (pashir) connected to the tank are a place to collect water. People used to sit next to pashir and take the water they needed. Platforms were also seen next to Pashir, a place for people to rest and take turns using the tank’s water. A network was built to aerate and keep the tank’s air fresh, and thus everything was set up to make the charsogh reservoir a pleasant and useful place for the public. Surprisingly, such a valuable structure had been neglected for a long time! Saroj bricks and mortar have been used in the construction of this building, and arrays can also be seen inside the structure. Shir Chaharsogh reservoir was registered nationally in 1381.
We mentioned that Torbat Heydarieh Reservoir was left out of sight, and later some renovations were done. The surprising and unfortunate part of this story is that there was news of it going into ruin and that “it has been turned into a garbage dump”! (IRNA news agency report – Aban 1401). “Over the years, the residents of the area used to empty the garbage and scum through the entrance of the reservoir, but after stratifying the illegal occupation, the first step was to empty the garbage and scum from inside” (report) Irena). Until recently, the reservoir was “in capture of the people”, but then the cultural heritage department of Torbat Heidariyeh took it back (Rokna News Agency – Bahman 1400) and promised that: “It will soon be unveiled as a tourist site.” (IRNA report). In any case, the Shir Chaharsogh (or Eshagh Khan) reservoir of Torbat Heydarieh is one of this city’s critical and historic structures and has played a valuable role in the people’s livelihood of that city for years. Therefore, it should be given due attention.
