Bam: Rebuilding a Historic City
Mina Marefat
Mina Marefat, PhD,
AIA, is an architect, ur-
ban designer, and ar-
chitectural historian in
Washington, DC whose
Bam Project sponsored
by Catholic University
and the Library of Con-
gress brought well known
professionals together to
investigate the potential
for innovation in short
and long term rebuilding
after natural disasters.In an eerie coincidence, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia took place precisely on the
first anniversary of the earthquake in Bam, Iran in the early morning hours of Decem-
ber 26. The shocking loss of life in both tragic events reminded us how interconnected
our world is. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the United States and another devastat-
ing earthquake in Pakistan demonstrated again that the world is not prepared when it
comes to large-scale disasters, particularly those that take place in culturally rich heri-
tage sites such as Bam.
Bam invites us to consider the many com-
plex architectural issues that need to be
addressed in historic areas vulnerable to
natural disasters. Situated about 1,000 km
south of Tehran, Bam is a large oasis edging
a vast desert; a sophisticated underground
irrigation canal system of qanats provides
the water supply. (Figure 1) This old trad-
ing center and military post represents an architectural history of more than 2,000 years.
The Arg-e-Bam, the citadel and seat of government, built by the Sassanians on a hill 200
meters high, was not only the largest mud brick structure in the world but also a focus
of cultural identity for the city and its surrounding area. (Figures 2 and 3) Before the
2003 earthquake, Bam had a recorded population of about 100,000. Eighty-five percent
of Bam was destroyed, almost 30,000 people in the area were killed, more than 20,000
injured, and 75,000 people, many from surrounding villages, were rendered homeless.
(Figure 4)
Three converging factors resulted in such
massive damage and loss of life: previous
structurally unsound changes to original
walls, especially in the citadel; significant
termite damage that reduced wall cohesion;
and an extremely high frequency of earth-
quake vibrations. Reconstructing Bam for a
more earthquake resistant future presented
many challenges and lessons. (Figure 5)
One of the most crucial concerns was housing, both temporary and permanent, since
Figure 1
Figure 2