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City &
Highlight Sightseeing ::
Hamedan ::
Highlights |
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HAMEDAN
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Radiating
with six straight avenues from a central square
(Imam Khomeini), Hamadan is one of the oldest
continually inhabited towns, centers of
civilization, and numerous capitals of different
dynasties that have ruled Iran through the ages.
Capital of the province of Hamadan, at the foot of
Mount Alvand, and located at an altitude of 1,829 m
above sea level, it is 400 km to the southwest of
Tehran by road via Qazvin, and can be reached by air
as well. It is a trade center for a fertile farm
region where fruit and grain are grown.
In the modern Hamadan which is built on the plans
prepared by the German architect Karl Fritsch,
nothing is left to be seen of ancient Ecbatana or
the Medes capital before they formed a union with
the Persians. It was the residence of Achaemenian
Kings, and the summer resort of the Parthian and
Sassanian dynasties due to its strategic vicinity to
Ctesiphon. In the 7th century AD Hamadan was passed
to the Arabs, and it was later held by the Seljuk
Turks (12th-13th centuries) and the Mongols
(13th-14th centuries).
Hamadans climate is mild and delightful in summers,
and cold in winters. Early spring and late autumn
are the rainy seasons for the region. To this Day
Hamadan is a very popular retreat with Iranians
during the warmer months when the climate in autumn
and spring is one of the most pleasant in the
country, but winters are long and sever.
Annual
Temperature average:
JAN
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FEB
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MAR
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APR
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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OCT
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NOV
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DEC
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-0.6
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-0.8
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7.1
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9.3
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15.1
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20.0
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23.3
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24.2
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18.2
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11.9
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8.6
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0.4
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Hagmatana
Before going into a description of the
historical monuments of Hamadan, and
regarding the towns rather prolonged
history, the reader is reminded of two
hills on which some of the most ancient
remains can be seen even toDay, however
not that much interesting: 1) Hagmatana
Hill, with ruins of the walls and
ramparts of the Median and Achaemenian
periods. Located in Ekbatan Street
(north of Ekbatan Square), which is
presently under archaeological
excavations and 2) Mosalla Hill (now a
park), situated in the east of Ayatollah
Mofatteh Avenue, which is said to be the
ancient site of Anahita Temple.
According to some archaeologists, the
site had been a Parthian stronghold, the
remains of which could be seen until a
few years ago, with parts of its
ramparts visible even toDay.
The ruins of ancient Hagmatana, on the
site of which the present Hamadan
stands, date from the period of Median
monarchs (7th and early 6th centuries
BC) who had made the city their capital.
Hagmatana was further developed under
the Achaemenian and Parthian rulers and
was known as the first capital of the
ancient Persian Empire. Scientific
excavations and accidental diggings for
construction works have resulted in the
discovery of numerous objects, including
some gold and silver tablets, in the
region. This indicates that the treasury
of the Achaemenian monarchs was kept in
Hagmatana and that the present Hamadan
has been constructed upon a part of the
site of the ancient city. In the old Sar
Qaleh, Qaleh Shah, and Darab quarters,
one could see the remains of a thick
wall that once enclosed the Achaemenian
Darius palace (521-486 BC). Some traces
of the Haft Hissar Palace and the
historic ancient rampart, sparsely found
in the old citadel of Hamatana bear
witness to the grandeur of this capital
of the Median and the Achaemenian
periods. However, an adequate
appreciation of this grandeur will only
be possible when systematic scientific
excavations are carried out in this
area. So far, the discovery of the heads
of a stone statue in the hillock Mosalla
has proved the earlier existence of an
Ashkanian fort on that hill. At all
events, Hagmatana has been one of the
important military centers of the
Sassanian period and has retained the
same position in the Islamic era. There
exists ample evidence in the history of
Islamic period concerning its
prosperity.
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Avicenna Mausoleum and Museum
Hamadan has been the land of great
heroes and scientists; Cyrus the Great
grew up here, Pharaortes was executed
here, and after thousands of years the
vestiges of the mythological walls
surrounding the beautiful town of
Daiakku (Deioces), the Medes King,
still can be seen there. The
world-famous Iranian scientist,
philosopher, and physician Abu Ali Sina
known to the West of Avicenna, a prodigy
who knew Koran by heart, lived in
Hamadan for several years. He died in
1307. A large mausoleum built over his
tomb in 1952, together with a library
(which contains approximately 8,000
volumes of books) and a small museum
devoted to his works are visited by most
local and foreign tourists. A
magnificent view of the city and the
Mount Alvand can be seen from the roof
of this museum.
Avicenna was above all a mathematician
whose theories were taught in Europe
until the 19th century. ToDay he would
have been called a "pluridisciplinary"
scientist. His works as a poet and
philosopher are still studied by
Iranians and Orientalists.
On the left side gallery of the
mausoleum there is a grave which is
attributed to Abu Said Dakhdukh. The
grave of Aref-e Qazvini, a famous
early-twentieth century Iranian poet is
also situated in an open yard close to
the entrance of the building.
Actually, mausoleums are the best
historical monuments of Hamadan for a
tourist to visit. Like the whole city,
the exterior of historic sites and
mausoleums have been renewed in most
cases by constructions inspired by
spindle-shaped structure of Mongol
towers, to the exclusion of all other
features of these towers.
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Mausoleum of Baba Taher
The 20th century Mausoleum of Baba Taher
(another modernist atrocity), situated
near the northern entrance of the city
from Tehran Highway and at the end of
Baba Taher Street in a square named
after him, is a rocket-like monument to
a mystic poet contemporary of Avicenna,
Baba Taher, who died in 1019 AD. The
mausoleum was reconstructed in 1970.
Baba Taher, living in the first half of
the 11th century AD, was one of the
great gnostics of Ahl-e Haq (Dervish or
Follower of Truth) sect to which the
gnostic order of mountainous Iran
belonged. Baba Tahers songs and maxims
were originally read in Fahlavi, Lurish,
Kurdish and Hamadani dialects, taking
their present form in the course of
time.
At least more interesting than the
monument are the magnificent flowers and
winding paths that surround it at the
center of a rather large hilltop square.
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GANJ NAMEH
Hamadans oldest Achaemenian rock
carvings consisting of two huge
inscribed panels (twenty lines) carved
on two rock faces of some two meters in
height are located 5 km west of the city
on the slopes of Mount Alvand. The site
is known as Ganj Nameh (Treasure Book,
or Treasure Inventory), because for a
long time it was believed that the
lengthy cuneiform inscriptions contained
a clue to the whereabouts of the
fabulous treasures accumulated by the
Medes and Achaemenians. In fact the Old
Persian, Neo-Elamite, and Neo-Babylonian
texts of the inscriptions belonging to
Darius I and Xerxes I, consist of a
genealogical account of the Achaemenian
monarchs and the adoration of Ahura
Mazda, the Zoroastrian God, as well as
their conquests. Almost at eye-level,
they are reached via a bridge over a
river lined with tea-houses. The texts
are translated into Persian and English
and posted on two billboards. The
English translation reads as follows:
The Great God Ahura Mazda, greatest of
all the gods, who created this earth and
the sky and the people; who gave
happiness to the people; who made Xerxes
king; an outstanding king among many
kings, an outstanding ruler among many
rulers; I (am) the great king Xerxes,
king of kings, king of lands with
numerous inhabitants, king of this vast
kingdom with far away territories, son
of the Achaemenian monarch Darius."
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Shrine of Esther and Mardocai
Mausoleum of Esther and Mardocai in a
small walled garden on Shariati Street
200 m west of Imam Khomeini Square, is
traditionally believed to be the place
where Esther, the Jewish Queen of Susa
and Xerxes wife, and Mardocai, her
uncle, have been buried. It is
considered as the most important Jewish
pilgrimage site in Iran, and used to be
visited by Jewish pilgrims from all over
the world. Inside the brick dome and
upon the plaster work of the walls there
are some Hebrew inscription. The experts
now say Esther was in fact buried in
Susa, and this tomb probably belongs to
another Jewish Queen, the wife of
Sassanian king Yazdgird I (339-420 AD),
Shushan Dokht.
There has been a Jewish colony at
Hamadan according to Herfeld since the
latters time. The simple brick
building, constructed in the 13th
century on the site of an earlier
(probably a 5th-century tomb), is
entered through a rough stone door,
which swings open into a large assembly
room, a vestibule, an elevation, and a
Shah Neshin. Actually, it has nothing to
speak about from the architectural point
of view. The exterior form of this
mausoleum, built of brick and stone,
resembles Islamic constructions. Another
smaller chamber facing the twin tombs is
used for prayers aided by an ancient
Torah on vellum. The two ebony tombs are
covered with a striking collection of
colorful clothes.
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Alavian Tomb, Hamadan |
Avecina Tomb, Hamadan |
Baba Taher Oryan Tomb,
Hamadan |
Esteroo Mord Khay Tomb,
Hamadan |
Ganj Nameh Inscription,
Hamadan |
Hamadan Bazaar, Hamadan |
Hegmataneh (Ekbatan)
Hills, Hamadan |
Mir Razieddin Artimany
Tomb, Twiserkan |
Nooshijan Castle,
Malayer |
Qorban Tower, Hamadan |
Asad Abadi Tomb, Asad
Abad |
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