Amir Kabir dam also known as Karaj dam, is a dam in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, located 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) northwest of Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

 and 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) north of Karaj

Karaj

Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...

. Amir kabir Dam was constructed on the Karaj River

Karaj River

Karaj River is a river of northern Iran. It flows through the Alborz mountain range....

, and was the first multi-purpose dam in Iran.

Construction

The initial studies for Amirkabir Dam took 22 years until 1956 when formal proceedings began and the dam was constructed in the period from 1957 to 1961.

Specifications

The ecliptic concrete structure is 180 metres (590.6 ft) high, with 30 metres (98.4 ft) length on bottom and 390 metres (1,279.5 ft) on top and its watershed is 764 kilometres (474.7 mi) long. The average annual water inflow to its reservoir is 472 million cubic meters. The total capacity of the dam's reservoir is 202 million cubic meters. The bottom elevation of reservoir and normal water surface elevation of reservoir are 1545 metres (5,068.9 ft) and 1610 metres (5,282.2 ft) respectively.

Purpose

The Amir kabir Dam was built as a multi-purpose dam to provide tap water for Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

 alongside agricultural development in Karaj

Karaj

Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...

. It supplies the irrigation demand of over 50000 hectares (123,552.6 acre) of farm land near Karaj. The power plant has been connected to the national electricity network for over 46 years and has a capacity of 90 megawatts. The lake behind the dam is a touristic attraction while being a natural habitat for rainbow trout. With its sailing and water-skiing facilities, the dam is a popular weekend summer resort.