The citadel complex is some 20 hectares in area and surrounded by a tall serrated rampart dotted with guard posts. A huge trench designed to protect the city from enemy aggression lies in the perimeter of the structure. In the past the trench was always full of water; today it has drained.
Sani ol-Dowleh, author of Marat al-Baladan says Bahman, son of Esfandiar has built the citadel. Some suggest the reason why the complex is called Bam is that Bahman has built it. Some archeologists believe that the complex is more than 2,000 years old.
The fortress, which had 38 watchtowers, was surrounded by a tall rampart whose parapet top provided cover for soldiers defending the city in the face of enemy aggression. This defense system should be credited for survival of the city till the present day. The word Arg means seat of the ruler which remains the most intact part of the citadel city. This part of the citadel which has been built on high rocks overlooks the rest of the city and the surrounding areas.
Following attacks by different groups on the area, the part of the city which for years exclusively housed the ruler began to absorb ordinary people. That was how houses were built and the complex turned into a city. In order to better protect the city an impassable trench was dug up and filled with water. That was how the complex as we see it today came into existence.
The main construction materials used in the citadel complex are sun-dried brick, clay, straw, bricks and palm stalk. The highest point of the complex, the residence of the ruler is 65 meters above the lowest point of the complex that lies near the main entrance which opens to the south.
People used to live in the complex until the end of the Qajar Dynasty. At that juncture, because of overcrowding, structures were erected outside the complex. People gradually deserted the complex as a result of encouragements by the governments of the time. In 1930, the army took over the complex. However Reza Khan ordered the army to leave the complex when he paid a visit to Bam.
Afterwards, the citadel slipped into oblivion. The untouchable fortress was pillaged and plunderers of Iranian arts and culture began to destroy it. The trend left an irreparable mark on the complex. The fact that the earth used in construction of the houses in the complex was rich and suitable to be used as fertilizer in agricultural fields, particularly in palm groves and citrus orchards, prompted ignorant locals to use the indifference of more ignorant governments to bring down the roofs of its houses and use the soil as fertilizer. Irresponsible excavation in hope of discovering objects of historical importance added insult to injury and resulted in devastation of some parts of the citadel city. Add to that, the erosion caused by rainfall, high winds, and sand storms which turned some of the houses inside the complex into a pile of rubble. Efforts to protect this huge cultural heritage were nowhere to be seen. The destruction hurt the feeling of those who cared about the culture of the country. Although their warnings came rather late, officials were eventually forced to pay more attention to the citadel city. The order to rebuild and protect the city came in 1970-1971.
It is thought that the first renovation of the complex, although very small in scope, came on orders of Nasereddin Shah before residents left the complex when the Qajar king was in power. After the 1,300-strong population of the complex moved out, Nasereddin Shah ordered the complex renovated. However the fact that those in charge of renovation did not know much about the historical significance of the structure turned the renovation drive into a heavy blow to the cultural value of the site. The drawings on the mud and brick walls of the complex were resurfaced.

A look at different parts of the structure
There remains one and only one entrance which is on the southern flank of the complex. After walking through the gate and past the guard posts, one comes across a market which has 80 stalls. The market was home to all the professions people in the past needed. The cobble-stoned market is 150 meters in length and has a dome-like stone roof. Unfortunately the dome no longer exists. Huge mortars found in the market area suggest oil-making has been a major local profession in the past. To the right of the market, lies a religious site which was used for functions and religious plays even after the complex was evacuated. Evidence suggests that before the dawn of Islam, the religious site had been a storage site. Next to the religious site is a subterranean siphon which would bring in water from outside the complex. There is a grand mosque in the complex which according to Professor Pope has been built during the Safarian era. To the southeast of the mosque, there is a sacred well which is attributed to the Lord of the Age (the 12th Shiite Imam). There is also a brick-walled mosque which is located at the far end of the Spinning Alley to the west of the market. It has five small domes and an altar. Before Islam, it served as a fire temple.
Part of the citadel is called Mirza Naeem which includes a school, a house, Mirza’s tomb, a religious site, and an exclusive bath. Mirza Naeem was a famous mystic figure who lived in Bam during the Afsharid Dynasty. His tomb is the only one found in Bam.
The citadel consists of four different quarters: neighborhoods inhabited by ordinary people, royal stable, barracks and the state area. There lies a pool in the royal stable which seems to have been roofed in the past. Lotf-Ali Khan Zand is said to have resisted there a lot before being eventually arrested by Mohammad Ali Khan Sistani brothers and handed over to Khajeh Tajdar.
In the barracks which served as gendarmerie station until 1930, there is a deep well next to a windmill whose lower millstone is still there. The state area includes a prison, a palace, the main watchtower, a four-season structure, a bath exclusively used by the ruler and a deep well.
In the prison, there is a corridor 25 meters long. It is located under a food storage facility. Some stories suggest that Mohammad bin Taher and his family were confined there on orders of Yaghub Leis Safari. There are some big sun-dried bricks dating back to the Sassanid era in front of the prison. The Bam River which serves as a lifeline for the complex is to its north.
The citadel qualifies to be placed on the list of the ten most wonderful structures of the world thanks to its history, its measurements, and its strategic location in the middle of an arid region surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of sandy desert. After all, it is older that the Great Wall of China and the volume of construction efforts there equals that of Baalbek, Pyramids of Egypt and Persepolis. At a close distance from the citadel, there is a structure called Qaleh Dokhtar, which is built on top of a hill. It dates back to the Parthian era.
The icehouse of the complex is located outside the eastern flank of the rampart. It is the only traditional icehouse which is still there. There is no information on the architect of the structure. It was mostly probably built during the Safavid era or maybe earlier when Timurid and Ilkhani dynasties were in power.
The icehouse which stretches along the fence of the complex from east to west is 65 meters in length. Inside the fence there are some false arches and spear-head vaults. Just like all other fences, it is constructed to provide shade. Winds blowing from the north hit the fence and stay on the northern flank, keeping the icehouse cold enough for the water inside to freeze. The reservoir of the icehouse can be accessed through a flight of stairs. It has a dome which is 12 meters in height. The higher the dome climbs, the thinner it becomes. The diameter of the dome at its lowest point is 55 meters. Cypress-like drawings cut into the ceiling of the dome make it more and more beautiful. This structure is the only traditional icehouse of Bam which has not been destroyed.

Water supply in citadel
Because there was little rainfall in the city, a subterranean siphon would be used to supply water to the fortress. The subterranean siphon was an underground canal which would lead water from faraway highlands to the top of the hill. Because the height of the fortress at some points was the same as the nearby mountain which would provide the city with the water it needed, the water would easily flow to the citadel. In addition to that canal, there were many wells inside the citadel.
Vaziri says: There is a well at the highest part of the citadel which is more than 200 meters deep. It is brimful with crystal-clear water. He says the fortress has been erected by Bahman, son of Esfandiar and that the well has been sunk by Rostam on orders of Prophet Solomon.

This is what Etemad ol-Saltaneh says in his book: The well in the upper part of the fortress is 40 meters deep; there is a second well further down which is 30 meters deep; and the third well is 27 meters deep. Even if 1,000 buckets – each containing as much as 135 liters – were used to take water from the well, the water level would not drop. Sir Percy Sykes puts the depth of the second well at 54 meters.

Abbas-Gholi Khan Jahanshir who visited the fortress in 1879 says: Water wheels were being used to pull water from the wells. The wells contained enough water to meet the needs of all residents. Twice I emptied a well which was brimful. There is a windmill at the top of the fortress.

Etemad ol-Saltaneh says: Because the northerly wind was always blowing in the region, there were windmills with big millstones. The last time a windmill was repaired was during the time of Ebrahim Khan. Mohammad Ghasem Khan Bami did the repair work. The millstone was three meters in diameter and 75 centimeters thick.
The sewage system has been of great importance in the citadel complex. Most houses had toilets which had their own drainage canal. What remains of houses abandoned some 200 years ago suggests hygiene had been important to residents and that houses had toilets similar to the ones used today.
There have been several public reservoirs in the city. The water taken from deep wells would be used to fill those reservoirs. One such reservoir which remains mostly intact lies next to the grand mosque. The southern deep well which is located to the southeast of the barracks was used to transfer water to the southern parts of the complex. The water would flow under the entrance to the barracks and divide into three parts. The one in the middle would take water to the stable; one of the other two would flow to the east and the last one to the west. They would branch out further before meeting at the site of the mosque and flowing down to the southern trench.
In addition to these wells, there were two more wells, one on the southeast corner of the central stable and the other to the southeast of the mosque. The latter is known as the well of the Lord of the Age.
The seat of government stands on a stone hill. The steep slope to its west was used to keep the metal balls. To the southeast of its fence, there was a well which would provide the water used in the palace and in its exclusive bath.

Reporter : mehdi akbarsefat

َApproved by : code 28

Create date : 1 Jun 2008 14:37

Id : 4187

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