Arg-e Bam

Arg-e Bam is a massive historic fortress located in Bam, Kerman province, in southeastern Iran. It is known as a citadel, which is a fortified settlement or a stronghold. This structure is famous for being the largest adobe building in the world. Adobe refers to bricks made from non-baked clay. Because of its historical importance, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site. It is part of the "Bam and its Cultural Landscape" designation.

The citadel's design was built for security and defense. It was situated in the center of a larger fortress-city. This position provided the widest possible view of the surrounding area. The citadel contained four main functional sections. These sections were the residential zone, the stables, the army barracks, and the governor's residence. To protect the people inside, the citadel featured 38 watchtowers and four entrance gates. An outer defense wall was also surrounded by a moat to prevent easy access.

Architecturally, the citadel was a complex network of structures. The Government Quarters were built on a rocky hill for extra protection. This area was defended by a double fortification wall. Several notable buildings existed within the walls, such as the bazaar and the Congregational Mosque. Other important structures included the Mirza Na’im ensemble and the Mir House. The entire complex was constructed using sun-dried clay bricks. This made the city a massive, unified monument of adobe architecture.

The history of Bam stretches back thousands of years. Some traces of the site go back to the Achaemenid Empire from the sixth to fourth centuries BC. During the Parthian era, the fort was expanded into the Arg-e Bam we recognize today. Under the Sassanid Empire, the castle was seized by Ardeshir Babakan. Between 224 and 637 AD, new fortifications and walls were constructed. In 645 AD, the Arab conquest of the Kerman region occurred. This period brought new changes, such as the building of the Al Rasoul mosque.

For centuries, Bam served as a vital economic hub. It sat at a crossroads along the Silk Road and other trade routes. The city was a major producer of silk and cotton garments. People in Bam were famous for silkworm breeding and a flourishing silk industry. By the 10th century, Islamic writers described Bam as a well-established marketplace. It was surrounded by wide agricultural areas and many palm trees. Its strategic location on the spice route helped it grow into a wealthy center of commerce.

Many different groups controlled the citadel over time. The Qarakhataian dynasty ruled the region from 1240 to 1363 AD. During the Safavid era, from 1502 to 1722, the citadel saw significant development. One notable building from this time was the Four Seasons Palace. Later, the founder of the Qajar dynasty used the citadel as a military complex. By 1880, the area was used mostly by military personnel. Eventually, a new city was built in 1900, and the citadel was used as a garrison until 1932.

A major disaster changed the site forever on December 26, 2003. At 5:26 am, a powerful earthquake struck the region. The United States Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.6 on the Richter scale. The earthquake was very shallow, with a hypocenter only 7 km deep. This caused extreme destruction to the city and the citadel. About 26,200 people died, and 75,000 people became homeless. Approximately 70% of the buildings in the area were destroyed by the shaking ground.

The earthquake's impact on the architecture was quite specific. The citadel's main structures sat on a rocky hill that concentrated the energy. This caused the governor's residence and the main tower to collapse. Interestingly, buildings with an east-west axis survived better than those with a north-south axis. This happened because the seismic waves moved in a specific direction. Some ancient, unmaintained structures actually fared better than the recently restored ones. Despite this loss, the President of Iran announced that the citadel would be rebuilt.