Arg-e Bam (Bam Citadel)

Arg-e Bam is the largest adobe structure in the world, located in the southeastern Iranian city of Bam in Kerman Province. The origins of the citadel date back over 2,500 years to the Achaemenid period (6th to 4th century BCE), though much of what remained before the 2003 earthquake was built during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736 CE). The massive fortified complex encompasses an area of approximately 180,000 square meters, surrounded by walls reaching up to 18 meters in height with 38 watchtowers. Within its walls stood a complete ancient city including the governor's residence, a bazaar, military barracks, a mosque, an ice house, and residential quarters for common people. The citadel was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, immediately after the devastating earthquake of December 26, 2003 (magnitude 6.6), which destroyed over 80% of the structure and killed more than 26,000 people in the city of Bam. An international restoration effort, supported by UNESCO and several countries including Japan and Italy, has been ongoing since 2004 to rebuild and preserve this irreplaceable monument of earthen architecture.