• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BAM CITADEL

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Bam, Iran

The Bam Citadel is, or was, one of the oldest standing fortifications on Earth, and possibly the largest mud-brick structure ever built.  This magnificent hill-top fortress had dominated the ancient city of Bam from perhaps as early as 500 BC before being almost completely destroyed by an earthquake just a few years ago.  An effort to rebuild this ancient architectural treasure is currently underway, although it is still uncertain what in the city and fortress can be salvaged.  As of the current time, the Bam Citadel was still part of the Cultural Landscape of Bam UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

The Citadel of Bam may have been founded as far back as the 6th century BC as a waystation on a southern branch of the Silk Road.  It was certainly around by the time of the Parthian Empire, who probably maintained it as an eastern base.  Thanks to its out-of-the-way location, Bam and its fortress managed to avoid many of the wars and invasions that threatened Persia from the north and west throughout its history.

Being built of mud-brick, the greatest threat to the citadel throughout its history has been the elements, and it has been renovated on many occasions.  The citadel as it stood in the 1990s essentially dated from the 16th century when it was rebuilt under the Safavids.  During the 17th century, as the importance of the Silk Road waned, Bam grew less important.  After an invasion from Afghanistan in the early 1700s, the town and fortress were largely abandoned.  It wasn’t until the 20th century that Bam began to grow again as a major urban center.  In the 1970s the citadel was used as a filming location for The Desert of the Tartars.

The Bam Citadel had survived for well over two thousand years, surviving time and war, before tragedy finally befell the fortress and the city.  In December 2003 a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck eastern Iran, with Bam close to the epicenter.  The ancient city, built almost entirely out of mud brick, was effectively destroyed.  The citadel was virtually leveled.  Nearly thirty thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and another thirty thousand were injured.

At the present time, the future of the Bam Citadel is in doubt.  Almost completely intact a few years ago, the citadel once drew tens of thousands of visitors annually.  There is virtually nothing left now, and even the outline is barely discernable.  However, thanks to donations and expert help from around the world, an effort is currently underway to see if any form of restoration may yet be possible for this ancient architectural treasure.

Visiting

The Bam Citadel as it once stood covered a small hill at the very heart of Bam.  Built primarily from adobe, the fortress was surprisingly big, with concentric walls, many towers, residences and barracks that could support and defend the local population in times of crisis.  The fortress also featured a primitive air conditioning system consisting of clever wind traps.

The citadel was almost completely destroyed by the 2003 earthquake.  Only small portions of the outer walls are still standing, and there is little to see besides piles of scenic rubble.  As of this writing no visitor information was available.  Web: www.tourismiran.ir (official tourism website of Iran).

Other Sites

While Bam Citadel is currently unvisitable, tourists can still visit nearby Rayen Castle, another adobe brick fortress in the Kerman province of southeastern Iran.  Although less historic, Rayen is equally impressive, especially with distant snow-covered mountains as a backdrop.  Further to the west in Fars province are the semi-ruins of the Ghal’eh Dokhtar Castle.

Filed Under: Castle/Fortress Tagged With: Iran/Iraq

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.