Across Iran's Dasht-e Lut Desert, November 1979

We spent a night in Kerman before driving into the Dasht-e Lut Desert to the amazing mudbrick city of Bam, dominated by the ‘Arg-e Bam’, a massive citadel which was the largest adobe structure in the world, dating back to around 500BC. 

The 'Arg-e Bam', massive ancient mudbrick citadel  of Bam, Iran  1979

The entire old city, mainly in ruins, was completely surrounded by massive mud walls, still largely intact, and was once an important stop on the Silk Road. We spent over an hour exploring and photographing this fascinating site and were the only visitors. I use the past tense when I write that Bam was the largest abode structure in the world, as the Citadel was destroyed in a massive earthquake on 26 December 2003 which killed over 26,000 people in the town. While an international reconstruction process is under way, I doubt if it can ever be restored to its former pre-earthquake glory. 

The ancient mudbrick citadel of Bam, Iran  1979

As we drove on across the flat, featureless Dasht-e Lut Desert on the road to Zahedan, we could see, in the hazy distance, what appeared to be a tower and as we came closer, could see it was built of brick. This is the Mil-e Naderi, a desert marker dating from the 12^th century, whose sole purpose was to guide caravans across this barren plain. As one contemplates this construction, one cannot but help feel an admiration for these early travellers on the Silk Road. They spent weeks of loneliness and hardship, surviving attacks by opportunistic raiders, and having to survive the ravages of one of the many sandstorms for which this area is notorious, traversing these waterless wastes to bring eagerly sought-after goods to the markets of Europe. It must have been with a sense of relief that when they sighted the Mil-e Naderi in the distance, they knew then that they were not hopelessly lost after all.    

Sundowners' Overland coach at Mil-e Naderi marker in the Dasht-e Lut Desert, Iran  1979

             As we progressed through the desert, the road deteriorated further until we came across a section that was under reconstruction. In one off-the-road detour, around a culvert being worked on, we came upon the aftermath of a head-on smash between a bus and a truck. We heard later one person had been killed. It seemed incredible that a fatal head-on crash could happen on this rough detour where it was almost impossible to go fast and there was plenty of room to avoid each other. We were told this was typical of Iranian drivers: everything is in the hands of Allah!

© Neil Rawlins  text & photography

Excerpt from my book  One Foot in Front of the Other - Full Stride