Ibn Hawqal (943–977), the Arab traveller and geographer, wrote of Bam in his book "Surat-ul-`ard" ("The Earth-figure")::"Over there they weave excellent, beautiful and long-lasting cotton cloths which are sent to places all over the world There they also make excellent clothes, each of which costs around 30 dinars; these are sold in Khorasan, Iraq and Egypt.
Pred potresom je Bam štel okoli 43.000 prebivalcev.