Tehran, 5 May 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) – In an attempt to protect Bam’s cultural, natural, and historical heritage, the first managing cultural landscape has been compiled by efforts of experts of UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office with cooperation of international counselors, authorities of Bam city council and municipality, as well as experts of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization.

 

Announcing this news, Eskandar Mokhtari, head of the international center for Bam’s Citadel Salvation Project told CHN that the management project for Bam’s cultural landscape has been prepared for the first time.  

 

“This project will come into force in Bam as soon as it wins the final approval of Iranian High Council for Architecture and Urban Planning in an effort to protect the cultural and natural heritage of this historic city,” said Mokhtari.

 

Bam’s cultural landscape is the first cultural landscape in Iran which was registered in list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites after Bam’s severe earthquake which hit the area on 26 December 2003.

 

Located in Kerman province, southeastern Iran, Bam Citadel was the largest adobe complex in the world. Bam and its Cultural Landscape is listed by UNESCO a year after the earthquake as a World Heritage Site. This enormous adobe monument with approximately 180,000 square meters area was situated on the famous Silk Road and dates back to some 500 BC which remained in use until 1850 AD. Unfortunately, almost most of this magnificent citadel along with much of the Bam’s historic landmark leveled to the ground by the 2003 massive earthquake. However, Iranian government is determined to reconstruct this unique monument with aid of international experts from Japan, Italy, and France, as well as UNESCO who announced their support for Bam’s salvation project after the earthquake. Though 80 percent of the Citadel has been demolished, experts have not lost their hope to revive it and believe that Bam Citadel is still repairable and thus started restoration works immediately after the earthquake to bring the Citadel back to its ancient glory. 

 

Soudabeh Sadigh

foreigndesk@chn.ir