Tangible/intangible: destruction and reconstruction of the Iranian site of Arg-e Bam (Bam Citadel),

The earthquakes which have hit the Iranian city of Bam have caused the destruction, and in many cases, the loss of a considerable part of the architectural heritage, concerning the very identity of the cultural landscape. The latest seismic event in 2003 (Gharaati, 2006) has seriously damaged the image of cultural landscape of the original core of Bam, recognized as the largest adobe-mud brick complex in the world. Arg-e Bam was entered in the WHL in 2005 (and removed in 2013) and a reconstruction program was implemented. The repairing of damage represented the reaction to a traumatic phenomena and also the response to the need of having an important touristic site as Arg-e Bam was before the earthquake. Several foreign research teams have been involved in the Recovery Project of Bam Cultural Heritage (RPBCH) and they have experimented reconstruction methods to reconcile traditional building techniques and safety exigencies. This work aims at verifying the correspondence of the reconstruction program results with the current international conservative guidelines, with reference to the Italian culture too. The complex Iranian situation which is being analyzed will be deepened to set out a comparison between the local exigencies of development and the cultural acquisitions in the field of restoration: in particular concerning the respect of the tangible and intangible authenticity which represents