Hamedan and Its Rich Historical Background (Part 1)

Sepideh Afshar Rezaee

Translated by Shiva Shakib

Hamedan is one of the ancient and old cities of Iran and world. Among the old and primeval cities of Iran, each of which has a long history covering a few thousand years, Hamedan enjoys a prominent historical position. The inscription left from the first Ashur king goes back to 1100 BC. Even some of the historians believe that the city of Hamedan was established in the third millennium BC.

The province of Hamedan covers 19,493 square kilometers;it is limited to Zanjan and Qazvin provinces from the north, and faces the Lorestan province from the south. Meanwhile this province is limited to the Markazi province from the east and is bounded to the Kordestan and Kermanshah provinces from the western parts. Hamedan includes 9 towns, 25 districts, 27 cities and 1120 villages. Regarding population, Hamedan has the fourteenth place and considering its size and coverage it has the third place in Iran. The overall population of Hamedan is estimated about 1,800,000 people. Some of the cities of Hamedan province include Asad Abad, Bahar, Malayer, Nahavand; whereas Malayer and Hamedan are among the largest cities of the province.

Origin and History of Hamedan Appellation

Throughout the history several different names have been suggested for Hamedan. Amadaneh or Amadi are the first names given to this city; as indicated in the Ashuri inscription. Also Hegmataneh is another name attributed to this city which refers to a crowd gathered in a city. During the Seleucid Empire, this city was named Epiphalia in honor of the Antiokhous the fourth. Anyhow some authors believe that before the Medians, this city had the name Aksaya, while others assume that the reason for the foundation of the first Median city, in other words Hegmataneh, was the necessity of finding the primary administrative and political organizations. This group thinks that a place was demanded for the habitation of the mentioned organizations and the authorities in charge which had been built by Diaco, the founder of the Median kingdom.

Polybius, the Greek historian of 220-146 BC, never saw Hegmataneh for himself, yet he writes the city of Hegmataneh is located in the mountainside of Alvand with a solid and entrenched castle, and the palace lies within the last fortress. The woods used for the palace are covered in silver and gold, whereas the columns, doors and the porches are all ornamented and decorated with numerous carvings and patterns. Even the tiles which decorate the inner walls of the palace are covered with silver plates. The Medians built a palace called the Haft Hesar Palace there, just like the Seven Wonders Palace of Babel. The glory of the kings, such as Diaco, Frortish turned the city of Hegmataneh into one of the most populated and developed cities in its time.

To be Continued….