Aras Dam, Embankment dam and power station at Azerbaijan-Iran border.
The Aras Dam is an embankment dam built across the Aras River on the border between Azerbaijan and Iran, equipped with two turbines to generate electricity. It also forms a reservoir that distributes water to farmland on both sides of the river.
The dam was built in the 1970s following an agreement between the Soviet Union and Iran to share the water resources of the river. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Azerbaijan took over the Soviet side and continued the joint arrangement with Iran.
The Aras Dam is jointly operated by Azerbaijan and Iran, making it one of the few places where two neighboring countries share a single piece of infrastructure. On both sides of the river, border installations and technical facilities mark this shared presence in a visible way.
The dam is located in a remote border zone and is generally off-limits to the general public. Anyone planning to visit the area should check in advance with the authorities of both countries, as access rules may vary depending on which side you approach from.
During construction, workers uncovered Bronze Age settlements that had been buried in the valley floor for thousands of years. Some of these sites were documented before the rising water covered them.
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