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Hamadan همدان
City
Central square, Nazari Museum garden, Monument, Abbasabad Spa, Quranic and International Convention Center, Tomb of Avicenna
HamadanHamadan
Coordinates: 34°47′54″N 48°30′53″E / 34.79833°N 48.51472°E / 34.79833; 48.51472
Country	Iran
Province	Hamadan
County	Hamadan
District	Central
Government
• Mayor	Seyed Masoud Hosseini
Elevation	1,850 m (6,069 ft)
Population
• Total	554,406
• Rank	13th in Iran
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)
Website	www.hamedan.ir

Hamadan (/ˌhæməˈdæn/ HAM-ə-DAN; Persian: همدان, pronounced [hæmeˈdɒːn]) is a 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.

History

According to Clifford Edmund Bosworth, "Hamedan is a very old city. It may conceivably, but improbably, be mentioned in cuneiform texts from ca. 1100 BC, the time of Assyrian King Tiglath-pilesar I, but is certainly mentioned by Herodotus who says that the king of Media Diokes built the city of Agbatana or Ekbatana in the 7th century BC."

Hamadan was established by the Medes. It then became one of several capital cities of the Achaemenid Dynasty.

Hamadan is mentioned in the biblical book of Ezra (Ezra 6:2) as the place where a scroll was found giving the Jews permission from King Darius to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Its ancient name of Ecbatana is used in the Ezra text. Because it was a mile above sea level, it was a good place to preserve leather documents.

During the Parthian era, Ctesiphon was the capital of the country, and Hamadan was the summer capital and residence of the Parthian rulers. After the Parthians, the Sassanids constructed their summer palaces in this city. In 642 the Battle of Nahavand took place and Hamadan fell into the hands of the Muslim Arabs.

During the rule of the Buyid dynasty, the city suffered much damage. However, the city regained its former glory under the rule of the Buyid ruler Fanna Khusraw. The Seljuks launched campaigns to take the city in the 1040s, ultimately taking the final Kakuyid fortress in 1047. The Seljuks later shifted their capital from Baghdad to Hamadan. In 1220, Hamadan was destroyed by the Mongols during the Mongol invasions of Georgia before the Battle of Khunan. The city of Hamadan, its fortunes following the rise and fall of regional powers, was completely destroyed during the Timurid invasions, but later thrived during the Safavid era.

Thereafter, in the 18th century, Hamadan was surrendered to the Ottomans, but due to the work of Nader Shah, Hamadan was cleared of invaders and, as a result of a peace treaty between Iran and the Ottomans, it was returned to Iran. Hamadan stands on the Silk Road, and even in recent centuries the city enjoyed strong commerce and trade as a result of its location on the main road network in the western region of Iran. In the late 19th century, American missionaries, including James W. Hawkes and Belle Sherwood Hawke, established schools in Hamadan.

During World War I, the city was the scene of heavy fighting between Russian and Turko-German forces. It was occupied by both armies, and finally by the British, before it was returned to the control of the Iranian government at the end of the war in 1918.

Demographics

Language

A majority of the population speaks the Hamadani dialect of Persian and standard Persian, with a Turkic minority.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 473,149 in 127,812 households. The following census in 2011 counted 525,794 people in 156,556 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 554,406 people in 174,731 households.

Climate

Hamadan has a hot-summer, Mediterranean-influenced continental climate (Köppen: Dsa, Trewartha: Dc), in transition with a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk). The city experiences hot, dry summers, and cold, snowy winters. The temperature may drop below −30 °C (−22 °F) on the coldest days. Heavy snowfall is common during winter and this can persist for periods of up to two months. During the short summer, the weather is hot, and mostly sunny.

Lowest recorded temperature: −34.0 °C (−29 °F) on 7 January 1964
Highest recorded temperature: 40.6 °C (105 °F) on 14 July 1989

• Heydare, Hamadan
• Alvand Mountain
• Mishan, a plain of Alvand Mountain
• Hamadan spot (light blue in center) in Hamadan province topography map

1. Also romanized as Hamedān and Hamedan
2. Extremes for Hamadan were recorded at Nozheh air base from 1961 to 1975, in both airport and Nozheh stations from 1976 to 2010 and at the airport from 2011 to 2020. All of the references at the end of the table cite the extreme temperature values.

Gallery

• Tomb of Baba Taher
• Inside the tomb of Baba Taher
• The Tomb of Avicenna
• The handwriting of Canon of Medicine in the Tomb of Avicenna
• Tomb of Esther and Mordechai, a tomb believed by some to hold the remains of Esther and Mordechai
• Inside the structure alleged by some to be the Tomb of Esther and Mordechai
• Emamzade Abdollah Mosque
• Alaviyan Dome related with Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
• Qorban Tower
• Ganj Nameh
• Hamedan Central Square
• Ali-Sadr Cave

Sport

PAS Hamedan F.C. were founded on June 9, 2007 after the dissolution of PAS Tehran F.C. The team, along with Alvand Hamedan F.C., is in the Azadegan League.

Some sport complexes in this city include: Qods Stadium, Shahid Mofatteh Stadium, Takhti Sport Complex and the National Stadium of Hamadan.

Education

Before the Persian Constitutional Revolution, education in Hamadan was limited to some Maktab Houses and theological schools. Fakhrie Mozafari School was the first modern school of Hamadan, which was built after that revolution. Alliance and Lazarist were also the first modern schools founded by foreign institutions in Hamadan.

Some of the popular universities in Hamadan include:

• Bu-Ali Sina University
• Hamadan Medical University
• Hamadan University of Technology
• Islamic Azad University of Hamadan

Notable people

Hamadan celebrities are divided into 3 categories: pre-Islamic, post-Islamic and contemporary people.

Pre-Islamic celebrities

Among the pre-Islamic celebrities in Hamadan is Mandana, the mother of Cyrus the Great and the daughter of the last king of Media, Ishtovigo.

Famous names after Islam

Famous people of Hamadan after Islam are great people such as:

• Baba Taher, Famous poets of the fourth century AH.
• Badi'alzaman Hamadani, author of the oldest book in the art of maqam writing.
• Abul Ali Hassan Attar, a great literature and famous syntax, vocabulary and hadith in the fourth century AH.
• Tomb of Esther and Mordekhai, The Tomb of Esther and Mordechai is a tomb located in Hamadan, Iran. Iranian Jews and Iranian Christians believe it houses the remains of the biblical Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, and it is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews and Christians in Iran.
• Ibn Salah Hamadani, physician and mathematician of the fifth and sixth centuries AH.
• Khajeh Rashid al-Din Fazlullah, minister, scientist and expert physician of the sixth and seventh centuries AH.
• Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Mystics and followers of Sirusluk of the seventh century AH.
• Mirzadeh Eshghi is one of the shining stars of poetry and prose of the play during the Constitutional Revolution.
• Bu Ali Sina, one of the rare scientists and geniuses of the time, was born in 370 AH in Khoramisin, Bukhara. He entered this city in 406 AH when Hamadan was the capital of the buyid, and after a while, Shams al-Dawla Dailami made him his minister. During his stay in Hamadan, Bu Ali Sina taught at the city's large school and had the opportunity to complete many of his writings.

• The tomb of Bu Ali Sina is now located in a square of the same name in Hamedan.

Significant Incident

In February 1990, the bank's central branch in Hamadan experienced a tragic robbery. The event resulted in the loss of life of the bank manager Abdulrahman Nafisi, his family, and a security guard. The bank manager, Abdulrahman Nafisi, displayed extraordinary courage by prioritizing the safety of the bank's funds over his own life. Despite being under torture, he pleaded with the robbers to take his personal belongings instead of the people's money.

Contemporary people

Contemporary people

• Baba-Taher-e Oryan, a poet (1100 AD)
• Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Persian statesman, historian and physician of the 13th-14th centuries
• Ein-Alqozat Hamadani (1098–1131), a great philosopher and sufist (1100 AD)

• Abolhassan Banisadr (1933–2021), economist, politician, and the first post-revolutionary elected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran

  

• Ahmad NikTalab (1934–2020), a contemporary poet
• Aminollah Rezaei (1936–2004), poet, the Father of Iranian Surrealism
• Amir Nosrat'ollah Balakhanlou, born in Tehran — two-time mayor and MP for Hamadan City (1950s and early 1960s)
• Amir-Shahab Razavian (born 1965), film director, writer and producer

• Ehsan Yarshater (1920–2018), historian, scientists, and founder of Encyclopædia Iranica
• Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi, a poet (1300 AD)
• Fazlollah Zahedi (1892–1963), military general
• Fereydoun Moshiri, contemporary poet (originally from Hamadan, but born in Tehran)
• Hossein Noori Hamedani (born 1925), Iranian Shia Marja
• Hanieh Tavassoli (born 1979), actress
• Joseph Emin (born 1726), a major activist in the attempts to liberate Armenia during the 18th century
• Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (1312–1384), poet and scholar
• Mirzadeh Eshghi (1893–1924), a nationalist poet
• Moshfegh Hamadani (1912–2009), writer, journalist and translator
• Abdulrahman Nafisi (1948-1990), bank manager
• Parviz Parastouei, acclaimed actor
• Shirin Ebadi, lawyer and the 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate
• Samuel Rahbar, scientist
• Wojtek, a bear who was born in Hamadan and would grow up to become a corporal in the Polish army during World War 2.
• Viguen, known as the king of Persian pop and jazz music
• Shahla Sarshar شهلا سرشار, Iranian singer “Hear Our Prayer” Patrick O Hearn
• Jamshid Barzegar, Author,Journalist
• Hassan Solhjou, TV presenter and producer

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Hamadan is twinned with:

See also

• Ganj Nameh
• Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
• Baba Taher Orian
• Ali Sadr Cave
• Hamadan Airport
• Wojtek (soldier bear)

References

1. OpenStreetMap contributors (14 November 2024). "Hamadan, Hamadan County" (Map). OpenStreetMap (in Persian). Retrieved 14 November 2024.
2. "سیدمسعود حسینی شهردار همدان شد". Mehr News (in Persian). 4 September 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
3. ^ Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Hamadan Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
4. "Hamedan". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
5. Habibi, Hassan (c. 2024) . Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Hamadan province, centered in Hamadan city. lamtakam.com (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Political Defense Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 3233.1.5.53; Letter 93808-907; Notification 82834/T134K. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
6. "Introduction". www.hamedan.rmto.ir. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
7. Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, Peter McDonald, Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi, "The Fertility Transition in Iran: Revolution and Reproduction", Springer, 2009. pp 100-101: "The first category is 'Central' where the majority of people are Persian speaking ethnic Fars (provinces of Fars, Hamedan, Isfahan, Markazi, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Yazd and Tehran..."
8. (Parviz Aḏkāʾi and EIr, HAMEDĀN i. GEOGRAPHY in Encyclopædia Iranica:"Languages spoken. Hamedān has been a crossroads of civilizations for millennia and a mosaic of cultures and dialects live there side by side. The main language spoken, especially in the provincial capital and its surroundings, is Persian, which is also the lingua franca in other regions. In the northern parts of the province, however, the language mostly spoken is Azeri Turkish, while in the northwest and west, near the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermānšāhān, people mostly speak Kurdish, while in some other cities such as Malāyer, Nehāvand, and Sāmen most people speak Lori and Lak (Faraji, p. 1296)."
9. Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (2008). Historic Cities of the Islamic World. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 151. ISBN 978-90-04-15388-2.
10. C. E. Bosworth, “ABŪ KĀLĪJĀR GARŠĀSP (I),” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/3, p. 328; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abu-kalijar-garsasp-i-ala-al-dawla-second-son-of-the-kakuyid-amir-of-jebal-ala-al-dawla-mohammad-b (accessed on 23 January 2024).
11. C. E. Bosworth, “KĀKUYIDS,” Encyclopædia Iranica,Vol. XV, Fasc. 4, pp. 359-362; an updated version is available online at https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kuyids-dynasty (accessed on 23 January 2024).
12. "Hamedan | Iran | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
13. James W. Hawkes Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, Indiana State Library.
14. Zirinsky, Michael P. (1992). "Harbingers of Change: Presbyterian Women in Iran, 1883—1949". American Presbyterians. 70 (3): 173–186. ISSN 0886-5159. JSTOR 23333052.
15. "Language distribution: Hamedan Province - Hamedān". Retrieved 4 May 2023.
16. Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Hamadan Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
17. Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Hamadan Province. irandataportal.syr.edu (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022 – via Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University.
18. ^ "HAMEDAN NOZHEH - WMO Station Number: 40767". ncei.noaa.gov (TXT). National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
19. "World Meteorological Organization climate normals for 1991-2020: Hamedan airport-40768" (CSV). ncei.noaa.gov (Excel). National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
20. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981-2010: Hamedan airport-40768". ncei.noaa.gov. NOAA. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
21. "TEMPERATURE RECORDS HIGHEST IN C. for Hamedan airport". chaharmahalmet. Iran Meteorological Organization. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
22. "TEMPERATURE RECORDS LOWEST IN C. for Hamedan airport". chaharmahalmet. Iran Meteorological Organization. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
23. Subani, Hamad (2013). The Secret History of Iran. Lulu.com. p. 19. ISBN 9781304082893.
24. "صفحه اصلی - دانشگاه بوعلی سینا". basu.ac.ir.
25. "Hamedan Medical University Website". www.umsha.ac.ir.
26. "Hamedan University of Technology Website". Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
27. "Welcome to Website Islamic Azad University of Hamedan Branch". 11 March 2005. Archived from the original on 11 March 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
28. "بازخوانی جنایت هولناک ۲۲ بهمن ۶۸ در همدان". 9 February 2021.
29. "خبرگزاری فارس - "بخارا" زادگاه و "همدان" مدفن بوعلی‌سینا خواهرخوانده می‌شوند". خبرگزاری فارس. 23 November 2011.

Bibliography

• Bibliography of the history of Hamadan

External links

Media related to Hamadan at Wikimedia Commons

• Ecbatana, Photos from Iran, Livius Archived 26 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
• Gandj Nameh, Photos from Iran, Livius Archived 18 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
• The Bisotun inscription, Photos from Iran, Livius Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine.
• Photos from Hamadan City Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
• Hamadan City
• Hamadan: Older than history
• Hamadan; Capital of Median Empire
• Iconos satellite photo (January, 2005)
• Google Satellite Picture
• Hamedan Cultural Heritage Organization (in Persian)
• Hegmataneh Official Website Archived 2008-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Hamadān entries in the

v t e Hamadan province, Iran
Capital	Hamadan
Counties and cities	Asadabad County Asadabad Bahar County Bahar Lalejin Mohajeran Salehabad Famenin County Famenin Hamadan County Hamadan Juraqan Maryanaj Qahavand Kabudarahang County Kabudarahang Gol Tappeh Shirin Su Malayer County Malayer Azandarian Jowkar Samen Zangeneh Nahavand County Nahavand Barzul Firuzan Giyan Qorveh-e Darjazin County Qorveh-e Darjazin Razan County Razan Damaq Tuyserkan County Tuyserkan Farasfaj Sarkan
Sights	Ganjnameh Shrine of Habakkuk, Toyserkan Hamedan Stone Lion Ali Sadr Cave Hamedan Museum of Natural History Noshijan fire temple,Malayer Shrine of Esther and Mordechai, Hamedan Baba Taher Mausleum, Hamedan Avicenna mausoleum, Hamedan Emamzadeh Yahya,Hamedan Alvand ski resort Pirsolayman lagoon Median capital of Hegmataneh, Hamedan Ecbatan dam Geyan lagoon Baba-pireh shrine Ecbatana
populated places	List of cities, towns and villages in Hamadan Province

v t e Hamadan County
Capital	Hamadan
Districts	Central Cities Hamadan Juraqan Maryanaj Rural Districts and villages Abaru Abaru Chashin Cheshmeh Malek Khaku Silvar Simin-e Abaru Alvandkuh-e Gharbi (West Alvandkuh) Ansar ol Emam Cheshmeh Qassaban Hamadan Garrison Heydareh-ye Posht-e Shahr Mehdiabad Muijin Solulan Tui Jin Vafr-e Jin Yekanabad Alvandkuh-e Sharqi (East Alvandkuh) Aliabad-e Varkaneh Arzan Fud Sadd-e Ekbatan Shamsabad Tafrijan Tokmeh Dash Varkaneh Yalfan Gonbad Ab Hendu Aq Tappeh Baraband Gonbad Heyran Kur Kahriz Neshar Qoli Kandi Rahimabad Hegmataneh Aliabad-e Aq Hesar Aliabad-e Posht Shahr Amzajerd Bahramabad Buli Industrial Estate Deh Piaz Gara Choqa Hasanabad-e Sheverin Nahran Owliai Qasemabad Qeshlaq-e Gomar Robat-e Sheverin Sangestan Abshineh Aq Dash Arablu Baghcheh Deh Dalian Dingeleh Kahriz Gur Gaz Ivak Konjineh Mahbar Marta Bolagh Pahnabad Pol Shekasteh Sabzabad Sangestan Sheverin Shirabad Sorkhabad Yeganeh Shara Cities Qahavand Rural Districts and villages Chah Dasht Boyukabad Bozineh Jerd Hajji Maqsud Hameh Kasi Idahlu Milajerd Now Deh Qepchaq Qerkhlar Samavak Yeserlu Jeyhun Dasht Ahmadabad Amirabad-e Kord Aq Darreh Barakatabad Buyaqchi Dashteh Dizaj Emamzadeh Pir Nahan Gonbad Chay Hizaj Jeyhunabad Razaj Shirinabad Tahunabad Yekleh Shur Dasht Ab Anbar Abdol Rahim Ahmadabad-e Tappeh Dowlatabad Firuzabad Kheyrabad Khomajin Kowzareh Mohajarabad Moslemabad Qeshlaq-e Olya Qeshlaq-e Sofla Quzlijeh Rahjerd Varkesh

• Populated places in Hamadan County
• Cities in Hamadan province
• Iranian provincial capitals
• Babylonian captivity
• Populated places along the Silk Road