On December 26, 2003 at 01:56 UTC (5:26 am Iran Local Time) a large earthquake of magnitude 6.7 (Ms) shook the Bam district located in southeastern Iran. About 80% of buildings totally collapsed. Several dozen villages were destroyed and tens of them were severely damaged. More than 26,271 people were killed, and 30,000 were injured and This left an estimated 100,000 homeless. At least 29 serious aftershocks struck Bam following the main shock.

Electricity and water supplies were cut by the earthquake. A large number of schools were affected by the tremor. An estimated 1,200 teachers and 10,000 students were killed. Houses in Bam were usually one-story masonry buildings and some of them were old and very weak. One reason for the large number of casualties was that when the walls began to fall down, the heavy roofs would collapse, leaving few air pockets in them. The dust and lack of oxygen contributed to the suffocation of survivors.

This city is an agricultural center located on the Silk Road and long known for its large Castle (Ark-e-Bam). Ark-e-Bam is a historical memorial house in Bam, which was founded about 2000 years ago. This house is the largest mud-brick complex in the world. was designated a UNESCO World eritage site in 2004.