Arg-e-Bam

Restoration of the historical citadel of Bam, in Iran, almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 2003

Client: World Bank
Scientific supervisor: Stefano Baia Curioni

At 5.26 a.m. local time, on Friday 26 December 2003 a MW 6.5 earthquake devastated the area of Bam. The city was demolished according to a near fault motion. Almost all the homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. About 40.000 people died in between the first earthquake and the following five days. The old part of the city, including the Arg e Bam citadel, encountered the higher devastation level with housing destruction from 80 to 100%.
The survey had to evaluate the social and economic value of restoring, rehabilitating or reconstructing Arg e Bam for the resident population and tourists. Different reconstruction option had to be identified with the help of the experts participating to the ICHO workshop in Bam and the population preferences had to be tested. The research group had to define and organize the collection of the required data and provide advice for their processing and their interpretation for the purpose of measuring the benefits of the investment options.