CITADEL ARG-E BAM

If the fortress is no longer open to the public, the nearby old town is accessible free of charge and is able to observe the citadel in reconstruction. With a little luck, the guardian of the places will let you even pass behind the protective cords and walk through the scaffolding.

The founding of Bam referred to the Parthian civilization (247 BC -224) - semi-nomads from the Khorassan province. Ferdowsi, a great Persian poet (940-1020), evokes, in his famous Shâh Nâmeh, the legendary story of King Sassanide Ardachir who came to conquer this strong place. The citadel of Bam, probably erected in the sassanide era (224-637), was a lock on the silk road between India and Saudi Arabia.

Persian, Arab, Indian and Chinese traders crossed the Iranian desert of oasis oasis. A population of more than 5 000 souls was then confined to the fortifications and distributed on less than 6 km ². Its maze of streets, housed a Muslim, Fire and Jewish neighbourhood. Subjected to the onslaught of Mongols from the th century, it will also undergo invasions of Afghans in the th century. In 1794, the young zand sovereign, Loft Ali Khan, traced by Agha Mohammad Qadjar, réfugia before being captured. In the aftermath, the new sovereign of the Persian Empire, a ruthless cruelty, killed the entire population of the city. In modern times, Arg-e Bam served for several decades of military barracks and depot, before being abandoned around 1930.