It has been quite some time since visitors have been complaining of the acute foul smell deterring tourists from visiting the Shushtar waterfalls, a UNESCO registered World Heritage Site.
The stench according to a report by CHN is caused by a large number of ducklings being kept in a pen near the site, which are released into the water during special occasions.
The ducks were donated to the site for World Tourism Day on September 27, by a heritage advocate. They were to add to the beauty of the site. The site manager Hossein Eidani previously said they were welcome as “aside from their beauty, they would preserve the structure by helping avoid the buildup of seaweeds and algae, which was causing erosion.”
The Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System is a complex system of irrigation comprised of waterfalls, dams, bridges, canals, tunnels, and mills, which dates back to the Sassanid era (224 CE to 651 CE).
The site was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2009, and has been referred to as “a masterpiece of creative genius” by the organization.
The Shushtar structures are located in Shushtar city, approximately 92 km from Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan Province.
