Asia

[Visited: May 2022]

When I decided to visit Bam and its world famous citadel, I had not heard about the citadel of Rayen. It was only when I was reading into the region that the citadel came to my attention, and my host in Kerman advised me to visit Rayen on the way - the second biggest adobe structure in the world. So it is that I am on my way to Bam after visiting Rayen - I will see the largest and second largest adobe structure of the world. Dark clouds continue to loom over us on the way. I am scanning the sky for openings in the clouds, and they seem to get thinner when we get close to Bam. I had imagined blue skies and planned a late afternoon visit for the best light conditions, but the weather gods have different plans. When we park just outside the citadel, there is a very meagre ray of sunlight coming through.
A robust man welcomes me, and turns out to be my guide. He is a native from Bam, and will accompany me in my exploration of the ancient citadel. Or rather, the ruins of the citadel. In 2003, an earthquake 7km below Bam destroyed much of the city and the citadel, wiping out roughly half the population; more than 26.000 people perished. I still remember the images. My guide tells me he lost most of his family, and it directly hits home how devastating the earthquake must have been. But he has moved on, and turns out not just to be a knowledgeable guide, but also a famous guy for the inhabitants of Bam. He takes me to a tower at the corner of the citadel, reconstructed by an Italian team. From here, we have a fantastic view over the enormous citadel and the ruins of the ancient city at its feet. Looming low over the adobe ruins are black clouds.
We see a pool with water, used to make mud bricks for the reconstruction of the city. It becomes clear that efforts are made to use old building techniques to approach the original look of the city as closely as possible. We walk a reconstructed street which was the market place; shops are lined up, and we can clearly see where wares were offered for sale. Bam was founded some two thousand years ago, and turned into an important trading city of the Silk Road. Then, we see the old caravanserai, and from there, walk up to the citadel proper. It starts to rain, making the cobblestones slippery. At the top, we see reconstructed royal chambers and enjoy the views of Bam. The rain has stopped, and the sun is on its way back through holes in the clouds when we descend the citadel and walk out one of the gates to the city below. Near the top of the high walls, we see various decorations, and I wonder what this city looked like in its heyday. We see ruins of a mosque, some of the walls leaning on wooden beams. We pass what once were houses on our way back to the entrance. A large section of the city is inaccessible. I climb the tower in the corner again for yet another look at the famous citadel. That evening, my guide takes me to a traditional Iranian gym which is probably the most surprising experience of my visit to the country. The next morning, we go to a hill made from rubble of the earthquake. From the top, we have a great distant view of the citadel that towers high above the date plantations. The sun is shining relentlessly, and the view is a great farewell of this unique city.

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Bam citadel (Iran)

Bam citadel > Iran > Asia

[Visited: May 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks