The Relationship between Understanding Cultural Heritage Landscape and it`s Management Landscape of Ancient

 Understanding symbolic and landscape values of a relic has a considerable effect on its preservation and management. Preservation of a historical site requires the understanding of its actual values and adapting planners’ and managers’ perceptions with such values. Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (water mill), located in the city of Shustar, has been registered on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2009, as Iran’s 10th cultural heritage site. The city of Shushtar was one of the most important centers of Khuzestan in Sassanid era and it used to have a special position in this region. This historical city includes valuable relics and sites from ancient era including the historical Hydraulic System. Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System is among Iranian tourism attractions which enchants and invites most visitors from different parts of Iran as well as foreign countries. This paper investigates on landscape values of the site and their perceptions. Some proceedings such as letting ducks and fish in the site to enhance its attractiveness resulted in raising some questions: “Is perception of this historical landscape site in accordance with its actual values?” and “Which landscape is more dominant in the site?” Aiming to answer these questions, this research has been fulfilled by studying available historical literature and books about the history of the site as well as using observation techniques in 2014. Having presented the landscape definitions and its classification are presented followed by UNESCO’s definitions and classification of cultural landscape and its measures to register cultural sites on the list of the World Cultural Heritage, it can be concluded that perception of landscape values of the site is different from actual values to some extent according to the actual values of the relic which have been mentioned in the historical literature and have been confirmed by UNESCO, and also according to the evidences. Obviously recognition of symbolic values of the site and actual perception about such values has a positive impact on its conservation and can play an important role in planning and management of the site.