The gate and towers
Crenellated walls.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Herbert karim masihi — CC BY-SA 4.0
Arg-e Bam, in the city of Bam in south-eastern Iran, is the largest adobe building in the world. The whole complex was a fortress containing an inner citadel, and since the citadel dominates the ruins the site is called Bam Citadel. It belongs to the UNESCO site of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, and the sheer size of the mud city amazes you as you enter. It goes back at least to the Achaemenid Empire, between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. It flourished from the 7th to the 11th centuries at a crossroads of the Silk Road and other routes, and as a producer of silk and cotton garments. On 26 December 2003 an earthquake almost completely destroyed the citadel, along with much of Bam. Long restoration work followed. You enter by a gate with round towers and crenellated walls, then walk a main street between mud houses, some rebuilt and some worn ruins. At the top of the site the inner citadel stands on a rock, showing both the damage and the restoration around it. You may see scaffolding, and you should not climb the walls, as the mud is fragile. The city of Bam is about 180 km in a straight line from Kerman. The best times are morning or just before sunset, above all from October to March, as summer heat is fierce. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.
Crenellated walls.
Rows of mud houses.
On a high rock.
City of Bam, Kerman Province, Iran
Much was rebuilt after the 2003 earthquake, while some is surviving ruin.
October to March, as summer heat is fierce.