Bam

Next stop is the ancient city of Bam, which had been nearly completely destroyed by an earthquake in 2003. More than 26,000 people were killed on that occasion.
The main attraction here is the citadel which is still in the process to being reconstructed, however parts of it can be already visited.
When presenting herself in public a woman has to dress appropriately including of course at least a head scarf if not a chador. I really don't know how the Iranian woman manage, with these masses of cloth, shopping bags and children. I quite often get tangled up with shawl, the key chain around my neck to prevent the keys from getting lost, a dog leash somewhere and the strap of my shoulder bag. And I was struggling again today, just in front of the citadelle. Here I am trying to untangle this mess of strings and straps and fabric, when an Iranian woman steps up to me, finds the end of my shawl and the beginning , artfully arranges it around my head and neck, gives me a kiss on my left cheek, on my right, then on my left again, puts her hand to her heart, disappears with a smiling Khoda-hafez and leaves me behind with a warm feeling in my heart and a big, happy smile on my face.Read more