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OnDecember 26, 2003, the worst earthquake in more than a decadedevastated Bam, a historic city in Iran. At least 25,000 people diedin the quake—nearly a third of the city's population. And thousandsmore were left homeless, hungry, and grieving. 

Bamwas a city of mud-brick houses, old monuments and an ancient castle.But nearly everything crumbled in the disaster. One reason theearthquake caused such damage was that Bam’s buildings were mademostly from baked mud. These buildings collapsed in heaps of dust andsand. 

Bamwas best known for its 2,000-year-old castle built out of mud, straw,and the trunks of palm trees. The castle was so big that it was oncethe city of Bam itself. Public dwellings lined its ground level; amarketplace and two mosques also fit comfortably inside. 

Bamonce blossomed as a trading post on the Silk Road. In the 16th and17th centuries, treasures from the Far East were carried along theroad into the capital cities of Europe. Fifty years ago, teams ofarchitects began restoring the historic treasures of the city. Eversince, thousands of visitors have come to admire them. 

Inthe face of this tragedy, food and other supplies from around theworld landed in the provincial capital of Kerman on Sunday. With suchsupport, spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed, “We willrebuild Bam stronger than before.”