In 2009, the historical irrigation system of Shushhtar was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Shushhtar was on the Persian King's Road, which connected the Elamite capital Susa with the Achaemenid Persepolis.
In late antiquity, the city was an important center of Christianity. During the reign of the Sassanids, Shushhtar was an island city on the Karun. This was led around in channels around the city. Bridges and city gates to the east, west and south of the city made them accessible. An underground sewer system by Qanaten supplied the city with water for private use and for irrigation of the sugar cane fields, for which the city is still famous today and which were already built in 226 AD.