Hamadan
Iran · Asia
About Hamadan
Hamadan is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a population of 554,406 people in 174,731 households.
Hamadan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities. It was referred to in classical sources as Ecbatana (Old Persian Hamgmatāna). It is possible that it was occupied by the Assyrians in 1100 BCE; the Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, states that it was the capital of the Medes, around 700 BCE.
Hamadan is situated in a green mountainous area in the foothills of the 3,574-meter Alvand Mountain, in midwestern Iran. The city is 1,850 meters above sea level. It is located approximately 360 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of Tehran.
The old city and its historic sites attract tourists during the summer. The major sights of this city are the Ganj Nameh inscription, the Avicenna monument and the Baba Taher monument. The main language in the city is Persian.
According to Clifford Edmund Bosworth, "Hamadan is a very old city. It may conceivably, but improbably, be mentioned in cuneiform...
Hamadan travel guide
Getting there
By plane There is a daily flight from Tehran.
1 Hamadan International Airport. (updated Nov 2021)
By train Hamedan has a daily train service from Mashad via the capital Tehran.
2 Hamadan railway station (ایستگاه راهآهن همدان) (12 km northeast of city centre). (updated Nov 2021)
By car
By bus There are buses from Tehran and other major cities.
See
1 Ali Sadr Cave. – about 100km north of Hamadan lies this fascinating cave which is the world's largest water cave. Best toured by pedal boat. (updated Jul 2019) 2 Avicenna's Mausoleum (آرامگاه بوعلی سینا). Tomb of the Persian polymath Avicenna (Abu Ali Sina), includes a museum. (updated Feb 2017) 3 Tomb of Baba Taher. (updated Jul 2019) 4 Alavian Cupola (Gonbad-e Alavian). (updated Feb 2017) 5 Ganjnameh. is an ancient inscription which has been carved in granite, is composed of two sections. One on the left ordered by Darius I and the other on the right was ordered by Xerxes I . (updated Jul 2019) Estakhr-e Abbas Abad (an over-the-hill lake with a magnificent view of the city.) 6 Tomb of Esther and Mordechai. Believed to house the remains of the biblical Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, it is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews in the country. (updated Feb 2017) 7 Stephen Gregory Church (کلیسای گریگوری استفان). One of the churches of the Iranian-Armenians (updated Feb 2017) 8 Hamedan Museum of Natural History, end of Azadegan Boulevard (on the Bu Ali Sina University campus), ☏ +98 81 3442 4200. 09ː00-12ː00, 14ː30-18ː00. it has a considerable taxidermic collection of animals and insects. The museum also has an aquarium and live fish tanks. (updated Jul 2019) Nazari House Mohammadi House 9 Hamedan Stone Lion (Shir Sangi Hamedan). (updated Jul 2019) 10 Ekbatana. Excavated Ancient City (updated Jul 2019) 11 Borj-e Qorban. (updated Jul 2019)
Sleep
1 Baba Taher International Hotel, ☏ +98 81 3422 6517. Business hotel, located north of city centre. (updated Feb 2017) 2 Katibeh Hotel, Etam Blvd and Abbasabad Rd, ☏ +98 81 3838 1919. A modern apartment-type hotel with new furnishings. Restaurant also on site. (updated Dec 2020)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.