Once Bam was a magnificent city molded in the red clay of the Great Iranian Desert. More than three kilometers is the length of the crenellated walls , supported by dozens towers for the defense of the ancient city. Inside , a triple ring of fortifications protects the citadel perched on top of a hill.  

but after the devastating earthquake of late December 2003 this city is now a demolished

From its keep , overlooking an impenetrable mountain range to the south and the endless desert to the north , can be seen that route of trade and invasions which the Sassanid Kings already had wished to control. Subsequently the Arabs extended their sway over it , only to be superseded by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century. In the end it was the Afghans who , with their devastation raid , in 1722 , which carried them as far as Esfahan , dealt the fatal blow to the fortress of Bam , as well as to that of Kerman.