Bam is a city situated in a desert environment on the southern edge of the Iranian high plateau. The origins of the city can be traced back to 6th to 4th centuries BC. It experienced its lightest days from the 7th to 11th centuries, being crossroads of important trade routes and known to produce silk and cotton garments. To city’s existence underground irrigation canals, the qanats, were critical. In Bam you can find earliest evidence of them preserved. Nowadays modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Bam citadel which is also called “Arg-e Bam”. The fortress is probably the most representative example of a fortified medieval town in the country. It was built in vernacular technique using mud layers. A sight worth a visit, however, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake which occurred in 2003. One more famous thing about Bam city is that it exports most of Iranian dates. So, if you are enjoying a date from Iran in some other country, great chance is that it is from Bam.