Hamadan

Lore & Background

Hamadan is a mountainous city in western Iran, situated in a green area on the foothills of Alvand Mountain, which rises to 3,574 meters. The city itself stands 1,850 meters above sea level, approximately southwest of Tehran. It serves as the capital of Hamadan province, county, and district. As of the 2016 census, its population was 554,406 people living in 174,731 households. The main language spoken is Persian. Considered among the oldest Iranian cities, it was known in classical sources as Ecbatana. Herodotus recorded it as the capital of the Medes around 700 BCE, and it may have been occupied by Assyrians as early as 1100 BCE. It was established by the Medes and later became one of several Achaemenid capitals. The biblical Book of Ezra mentions Hamadan as the location where a scroll was found granting Jews permission from King Darius to rebuild the Jerusalem temple; its ancient name Ecbatana appears in that text. Because the city sits a mile above sea level, it was ideal for preserving leather documents. During the Parthian era, while Ctesiphon was the main capital, Hamadan served as the summer capital and residence for Parthian rulers. The Sasanians later built their summer palaces there. In 642, following the Battle of Nahavand, the city fell to Muslim Arabs. In the 1040s, the Seljuks campaigned to take it, ultimately capturing the final Kakuyid fortress in 1047 and later moving their capital from Baghdad to Hamadan. The city was destroyed by Mongols in 1220 and again during Timurid invasions, but thrived again under the Safavids. In the 18th century, it was surrendered to the Ottomans but returned to Iran through a peace treaty negotiated by Nader Shah. During World War I, heavy fighting occurred between Russian and Turko-German forces, and the city was occupied by Russian, Ottoman, and British armies before being returned to Iranian control in 1918. The old city and its historic sites, including the Ganj Nameh inscription, the Avicenna monument, and the Baba Taher monument, attract summer tourists.

Reader's Guide

Hamadan's significance lies in its deep historical roots as one of the oldest cities in Iran, serving as a capital for multiple empires including the Medes, Achaemenids, Parthians, and Seljuks. Its location on the Silk Road contributed to its commercial importance. The city is a tourist destination, attracting visitors to historic sites such as the Ganj Nameh inscription, the Avicenna monument, and the Baba Taher monument. The tomb of Esther and Mordechai is an important pilgrimage site for Jews and Christians. Hamadan is also known for its educational institutions, including Bu-Ali Sina University, and for being the birthplace or home of notable figures such as the scientist Avicenna and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Did You Know?

• Hamadan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities and was referred to in classical sources as Ecbatana.
• The biblical book of Ezra mentions Hamadan as the place where a scroll was found giving Jews permission from King Darius to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
• The tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews and Christians in Iran.

Ancient Roots and the Shadow of Ecbatana

Few cities on the Iranian plateau can trace their lineage so far back into antiquity. Hamadan, identified in classical literature as Ecbatana (Old Persian Hamgmatāna), is widely considered one of the region's most ancient settlements. Under the Achaemenid dynasty, Ecbatana functioned as one of several rotating imperial seats. Its elevation of nearly a mile above sea level made it a natural vault for fragile leather documents, a fact preserved in the biblical book of Ezra, which records that a royal scroll granting Jews permission to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple was found in the city's archives. The Ganj Nameh inscription and other surviving monuments still anchor that classical memory for modern visitors.

A Thousand Years of Conquest and Renewal

From the Parthian era onward, Hamadan's fate was inextricably tied to the rise and collapse of successive empires. Parthian rulers designated the city their summer residence, and the Sasanians followed suit, erecting seasonal palaces in its green foothills. By the mid-ninth century, the Alavi Sadat family held effective power, leaving behind the distinctive Alavian dome. Under the Buyids, Hamadan endured heavy damage before recovering its luster under Fanna Khusraw. It was only during the Safavid period that Hamadan truly flourished again, a pattern of destruction and rebirth that defines its medieval narrative.

Siege, Occupation, and the Long Twentieth Century

The modern era brought its own catalogue of violence to Hamadan. In the eighteenth century, the city fell briefly to Ottoman forces before Nader Shah's campaigns restored it to Iranian sovereignty. During the early 1700s, Kurdish tribal groups exploited the political chaos to seize Hamadan and push their advance nearly as far as Isfahan. The late nineteenth century saw American missionaries, including James W. Hawkes and Belle Sherwood Hawke, establish schools in the city. The Qajar period's final decades were marked by two devastating famines, one engineered through the opposition of local khans to constitutionalist reforms.

Highland Setting, Climate, and Living Culture

This highland position shapes everything about daily life: the climate blends a hot-summer, Mediterranean-influenced continental pattern with elements of a cold semi-arid regime, producing scorching, dry summers and bitterly cold, snow-laden winters. Linguistically, the majority speaks the local Hamadani dialect of Persian alongside standard Persian, with a smaller Turkic-speaking minority. Summer draws tourists to the old city's historic sites, including the Ganj Nameh inscription, the Avicenna monument, and the Baba Taher monument. Centuries of Silk Road commerce, rooted in the city's position along western Iran's main road network, left a lasting imprint on its commercial character, and that trading heritage continues to shape the urban fabric.