Mixed
Bam et son paysage culturel
Photo : Francesco Bandarin (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo)
Located in southeastern Iran in the province of Kerman, this site encompasses the historic city of Bam and its surrounding cultural landscape. The walled city represents one of the largest adobe structures in the world, showcasing traditional Persian-Sasanian architectural principles with its fortified walls, citadel, residential quarters, and bazaar. The settlement demonstrates sophisticated urban planning and construction techniques developed over centuries of habitation, with origins traceable to the Achaemenid period. The cultural landscape extends beyond the city walls to include agricultural areas, water management systems, and the broader arid environment that shaped settlement patterns in this region. The site illustrates the interaction between human communities and a desert environment, revealing how architectural and agricultural practices adapted to local climatic constraints. The exceptional preservation of mud-brick structures and urban layout provides significant evidence of traditional building methods and urban organization in southwestern Asia.
