Arg-e Bam

Arg-e Bam was a walled citadel and town built entirely of mud brick, occupied from around the Achaemenid period and abandoned in the nineteenth century, covering some 180,000 square metres with a governor's enclosure on a rock at the centre and a walled town below, and it is generally described as the largest adobe complex in the world. On 26 December 2003 an earthquake destroyed most of it along with much of the modern city, and the reconstruction that followed has been running ever since, using traditional materials and methods with international support, so what visitors see is a mixture of surviving fabric, rebuilt structures and ongoing work. The wider inscription covers the oasis around it, with its qanats and palm groves, as a cultural landscape.

What you actually see

• The governor's enclosure - the citadel on the rock at the centre.
• Rebuilt walls and gatehouse - reconstruction using traditional mud brick.
• The walled lower town - lanes, houses and a bazaar street.
• The oasis and qanats - the palm groves and water system around the citadel.

When to go

November to March; Bam is very hot the rest of the year. Half a day. Mornings are best for light and temperature. Restoration means the accessible areas change from year to year.

Honest expectations

Much of what stands is reconstruction rather than original fabric, and the distinction is not always signposted. Parts of the site are closed for work. There is no shade. The modern city was also devastated in 2003 and the surroundings reflect that.

Nearby

Rayen citadel is north-west; Kerman lies about three hours away.