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Floating
on a sea of sewage, Kerman’s historical fabric is
threatened by crawling damp, which has already damaged the
Ganjali khan Bath and grand Bazaar.
Since most Iranian cities lack a proper sewage system,
people usually dig wells to discharge their waste, but now
most of these wells are brimming with filth, menacing a
400-hctare area of historical buildings, mostly made of
adobe and mud-brick.
“The constant filling of the wells is looming large for
the ancient monuments which lack a damp-proof course in
their foundations,” said Javad Nazarieh, an expert with
Kerman’s Cultural Heritage Organization.
“Our studies show that you could dig filth out just 5
meters down the surface, but ironically it is impossible
to siphon off all the wells without further damages to the
historical fabric.”
Kerman city with a height of 1755 m. is located on a high
margin of Kavir-e lut (Lut Desert) in the central south of
Iran, is the Capital of Kerman Providence. Kerman is
counted as one of the oldest cities and its name is
derived from the Germaniol race listed by Herodotus, and
its construction is attributed to Ardashir I of Sassanid
Dynasty (Ardashir-e Babakan) in 3rd century CE.
Kerman city has a moderate and the average annual rainfall
is 135 mm. Because it is located close to the Kavir-e lut,
Kerman has hot summers and in the spring it often has
violent sand storms. Otherwise, its climate is relatively
cool.
Ganjali Khan was one of the famous rulers during the reign
of Shah Abbas of Safavid. As the ruler of Kerman province
he constructed many monuments and buildings. Ganjali Khan
complex is composed of a school, a square, a caravanserai,
a public bath, a water reservoir, a mint house, a mosque
and a bazaar. A number of inscriptions laid inside the
complex indicate the exact date when these places have
been built.
Out of Ganjali Khan complex, the Khan public bath located
in the grand bazaar of Kerman serves as an anthropology
museum today and attracts an increasing number of Iranian
and foreign tourists. This is a unique work of
architecture with beautiful tile works, paintings,
stuccos, and arches.
The bath rendered service no later than 60 years ago. In
the closet section and main yard of the bath there are
many life-like statues. These statues were designed at
Tehran University's faculty of fine arts in 1973 and then
transferred to this museum.
This complex has been built during the Safavid era (1501 -
1722 CE) enjoying a modern architectural style of the
time. This bath is an association of architecture and
application of an array of constructional materials in an
appropriate space with totally popular approaches. The
architect of the bath and the complex is a master from
Yazd city named Mohammad Sultani.
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