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Published: September 28th 2005
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"Good morning!", Mr. Hoseyn exclaims enthusiastically as we climb into the car yet another early morning. I don't really like early rise but reply "Sobh beh'khayr" just as energetically. We leave Kerman and drive southeast towards our main goal for the day the city of Bam and its grand citadel, some 200 kms away. As you may recall much of the city was razed by a very powerful earthquake (the official figures state a magnitude of 6.6) in late December 2003 and a tremendous amount of people were left killed or homeless. According to a report on
FarsiNet about 43.000 were killed, 20.000 injured and a further 60.000 homeless. I still remember seeing the newsreel on TV sitting at a hotelroom in Taipei.
This particular November day though, the sun is high in the sky, the gloomy hills and dunes now sparkling yellow and brown and even the brush and shrubbery seem to poke some green leaves into the mix. The beauty of Bam will always have a special place in my heart. The old city and its giant walled citadel are magnificent. There used to be a whole city inside the walls, and even though only ruins remains of
the houses it is easy to get an impression of what it must have looked like. The main building itself and the walls have been restored and look splendid as they shine against the blue sky. Climbing up to the main citadel building and looking out beyond the city walls you can see mountains on the horizon and a dry riverbed passing plantations of Date Palm trees. Looking back towards the city the dome of the mosque and its two minarets rise above the rooftops and trees. The whole thing looks like a backdrop in a very stereotypical yet gorgeous movie production. I am just standing around silently absorbing it all.
Walking around the site we come across an Iranian man who used to live in Sweden and can speak some Swedish. Although he doesn't ask why I've come here (I guess Bam is a pretty good reason enough) he does assume that the Bergmans are my parents, never mind that we look completely different.
In the afternoon we travel back to Kerman and stop to visit the gardens in Mahan. Like other parks it has a heavy emphasis on ponds, fountains and running water. I meet a
curious student called Mahin who wishes to practice some English with me. Back in Kerman we visit a local Sufi mosque which is getting decorated in preparation for the upcoming celebrations of the return of the 12th Imam. We also visit the Shah Nematollah Valli mausoleum. It is possible to climb the roof of the mausoleum and have a view of the surrounding area, but it is getting a bit dark already. We have dinner at the hotel again, and I spend some time chatting with a Farzaneh and a British backpacker in the hotel lobby. There is a computer connected to the Internet at the reception, but the price is a bit high and the connection miserable. And I find no new messages from my friend either.
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Anna
non-member comment
Beautiful
Thank you for sharing your wonderful photographs and giving us the opportunity to see such a beautiful place.