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HamedanAlso spelled HAMADAN, ancient Ecbatana, city, west-central Iran, at the northeastern foot of Mount Alvand (11,716 feet [3,571 m]). Itself at an elevation of 6,158 feet (1,877 m), the city dominates the wide, fertile plain of the upper Qareh Su River. There is a sizable Turkish-speaking minority.
The city, although certainly an older foundation, has records only
from the 1st millennium BC. Hamedan has had many names: it was The city was captured by the Arabs in 641 or 642 and for some centuries remained a provincial capital, though important only commercially. In the second half of the 12th century, the Seljuq Turkish sultans made it their capital, and so it remained for 50 years. To this period dates the building of Gonbad-e 'Alaviyan, a mausoleum with fine stucco work. About 1220 Hamedan was destroyed by the Mongols; in 1386 it was sacked by Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, and the inhabitants massacred. It was partly restored in the 17th century and subsequently changed hands often between Iranian ruling houses and the Ottomans. In modern times its strategic position has caused a revival. The city was damaged during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Modern development is modest. In summer the pleasant climate makes Hamedan a resort, but the winters are long and severe. The Shahnaz Dam provides water for the city. Grain and fruits are grown in abundance, and Hamadan is an important trade centre on the main Tehran-Baghdad highway. In the Iranian rug trade it ranks second only to Kerman. Pop. (1986 prelim.) 272,449.
MAJOR SIGHTS IN HAMEDAN CITY Bazar MAJOR SIGHTS IN HAMEDAN PROVINCE:
Ali Sadr caves HAMEDAN LINKS:
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possibly the Bit Daiukki of the Assyrians, Hangmatana, or
Agbatana, to the Medes, and Ecbatana to the Greeks. One of the
Median capitals, under Cyrus II the Great (d. 529 BC) and later
Achaemenidian rulers, it was the site of a royal summer palace. A
little east of Hamedan is the Mossala, a natural mound the debris of
which includes the remains of ancient Ecbatana, which has never
been excavated. The modern city is built partly on its mounds. The
city is mentioned in the Bible (Ezra 6:2).