Bam Citadel

Bam Citadel (Arg-e Bam) is an extensive mudbrick citadel and adjacent settlement in Kerman province, Iran, recognised for its monumental earthen architecture. It is one of the largest known mudbrick structures in the world and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

The complex includes an inner citadel with high rammed-earth walls, towers and organized residential quarters, surrounded historically by an outer town and irrigated palm groves fed by a qanat system. The site’s architecture illustrates traditional earthen urbanism and defensive planning.

Arg-e Bam has evidence of occupation from antiquity through medieval and early modern periods; it was a regional centre on caravan routes and developed over many centuries. The citadel suffered catastrophic damage in the 2003 earthquake, and international and Iranian conservation teams have since undertaken stabilisation and reconstruction work.

The citadel stands near the modern city of Bam in southeastern Iran’s Kerman province, set in an arid plain framed by irrigated date-palm orchards.

• 2003 earthquake: Severely damaged by the 26 December 2003 Bam earthquake; major conservation and reconstruction efforts have been underway since the disaster.

What to See #

• Inner citadel (Arg): The inner citadel (arg) with concentric mudbrick ramparts, towers and the remains of residential and administrative compounds at the heart of the site.
• Outer city and bazaars: Outer town and neighbourhoods that historically surrounded the citadel, including caravanserai and artisans' quarters reflected in the city's layout.
• Palm oasis and qanat system: Surrounding palm groves and qanat-fed agricultural lands that historically supported the settlement and remain visible on the approach to the citadel.