Series Persia (gallery) ( - )
On Dec 26 at 05:25AM a terrible earthquake hit the small city of Bam in Iran, which I visited just a few weeks ago. The tremor was measured at 6.6 on the Richter scale, and caused damage beyond imagination. The death-toll is staggering: the morning paper in Delhi (Hindustan Times, Dec 28 2003, front page) reported over 20 thousand deaths, about a quarter of the town's population. The ruins of Arg-é Bam which had been standing for over 1000 years were levelled by the violence of the quake. Houses, most of them made of bricks, collapsed as people were sleeping inside.
I am under shock, looking at the photos; trying to get more information. I need to get access to the internet to find the Iranian info on the disaster. It is the first time that a natural disaster of this magnitude strikes so close to my heart. I feel great sorrow for the human loss, the people of Bam took good care of me while I visited. I feel regret at the collapse of the great citadel of the desert, which I was priviledged enough to see.
I have several hundred photos of the site, and I wish I could share some more with all of you. Unfortunately the CDs with the photos are on a cargo ship somewhere between Dubai and Brussels. When they get there I will try to post some more, although that probably means forwarding the CDs by post, which will take another few weeks. I can do nothing to help the relief crews from here, but I am hoping that you will appreciate the glimpse I can offer of this site that was on the UNESCO's World-Heritage list.
My thoughts are with the people of Bam and Iran during these terrible times.