Hamadan - Definition and Overview

This page is about city of Hamedan. For the province with this name, see Hamadan province.

Hamadan or Hamedan (همدان in Persian) is capital city of Hamadan province of Iran.

Hamadan is a green mountainous area on the foothills of the 3574-meter Alvand Mountain,in the middle west of Iran. Special nature of this old city and its historic sites attract tourists in hot summers of Iran. Located approximately 400km southwest of Tehran, Hamadan was one of the multiple capital cities of the Achaemenid Dynasty and it has been referred to by several variations of the same name throughout its long history: Hagmatana (Old Persian), Ecbatana (classical Greek rendition of Hagmatana) and several corruptions or mispronounciations of the previous two in subsequent centuries. Hagmatana is thought to have been the capital city of Media. The name Hagmatana is directly from Old Persian.

Hamadan is the birthplace of Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize.

Handicrafts: Hamadan has always been well-known for handicrafts like leather and ceramic work as well as for its beautiful carpets.

Caves: Ali Sadr Caves, an endless network of caves full of clear water with caverns up to 10 metres high and 100 metres wide.

Tombs:Avicenna (Abu Ali Sina), Baba Tahir.

See also

• Hamadan Rugs
• Ganjnameh
• Baba Taher Orian

External links

• Hameddan: Older than history (http://www.farsinet.com/hamadan/index.html)
• Capital of Median Empire (http://www.iranchamber.com/cities/hamadan/hamadan.php)
• Picture (http://www.persianebuy.com/mountain/Index.aspx)