Prince Charles of Britain and his entourage toured the ruins of Bam Citadel which was destroyed in the devastating earthquake on December 26, IRNA reported from Bam, Iran.

Prince Charles met President Khatami on Monday
photo: ISNA

Bam Citadel was one of the world most glorious architectural monuments and among the country`s significant cultural heritage of its own type.

It is the largest mud brick complex in the world covering an area of 200,000 square meters.

The monument was used by Bam residents as a shelter until 200 years ago and up to 20 years ago its barrack served as a gendarmerie checkpoint.

As a result of the recent tragic quake, just less than 30 percent of the historical 5,000-year-old monument has survived.

The British crown prince and the accompanying delegation arrived in Bam to inspect the quake stricken area in southeastern Iran.

The British delegation was welcomed at Bam airport by Kerman Governor General Mohammad Ali Karimi and several other local officials.

Prince Charles arrived in Tehran Sunday evening and held a meeting with President Mohammad Khatami Monday morning.

The prince and the accompanying British officials flew to Tehran from Iraq on Sunday evening and met President Mohammad Khatami on Monday morning.

While in Iraq, the prince held talks with the local officials of the Iraqi Governing Council in Basra.

Prince Charles on Friday called for efforts to help tens of thousands of victims from the devastating earthquake in the historic Iranian city of Bam.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale hit Bam and its nearby villages, killing some 45,000 people and injuring tens of thousands of others.

Prince Charles visits palm groves, wells in Baravat, Bam

Prince Charles also inspected a number of half- or fully-reconstructed wells as well as palm groves in the provincial quake-torn city of Baravat on Monday.

Prince Charles praised the painstaking efforts of palm growers in Baravat to revive their groves and wished them success.

Director General of the office in charge of regional palm groves Ardavan Nowsoodi told reporters that there are 19,200 hectares of groves in Bam, yielding 120,000 tons of dates a year.