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| Kerman
city is the center of Kerman province located 1022
KM south-east of Tehran. The whole population of Kerman is
around 2 million (Kerman city 340,000). Kerman has hot and dry weather
in summer and cold and dry in winter. Kerman is an ancient city and was
called Botia during the Achaemenids dynasty. Kerman is a center
of trade in the region and is accessible by the Persian gulf and Oman
Sea ports through railway and highways.
Nematollah Vali Mosque in Kerman This mosque was built in 1437 A.D. and is located in 38Km South of Kerman. Arke Bam in Bam This building was a very famous military compound, built around 2000 years ago. It has a total area of 6000 sqm and is located 200Km South of Kerman. Bam is a pleasant town where the eucalypts are likely to make any Aussie homesick, and the date palms clearly indicate a desert oasis. But it's the incredible ancient city which makes Bam truly special. Although some of the surviving structures must have been built before the 12th century, most of what remains dates from the Safavid period (1502-1722). Up to 13,000 people once lived in this 6 sq km (2 sq mi) city until it was abandoned following an Afghan invasion in 1722. The city was abandoned again in about 1810 after bloodthirsty invaders from Shiraz popped in, and then was used as an army barracks until the 1930s. It is now completely deserted. Numerous steep and narrow stairways lead to the pinnacles of the outer clay wall which almost circles the entire city. From the wall you can see the curved ice house, which housed enormous chunks of ice in winter, melting to become drinking water in summer. The inner citadel dominated the town - the extraordinary echo in the garrison is thought to be a deliberate, ancient loudspeaker system. Bam is in south-eastern Iran. The bus from Tehran, 1260km (780mi) away, takes about 21 hours, so you might consider flying. There are two flights a week between Tehran and Bam, and more frequent flights between Tehran and Kerman, which is about three hours north-west of Bam by bus or shared taxi.
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