History of Hamedan | Hamedan Capital of Asian Tourism

Hamedan, Capital of History and Civilization

The situation of Hamedan in terms of climatic and natural status which has made it suitable for agricultural and pastoralism has long been caused the region to be the place of establishment and development of ancient civilizations. The existence of a considerable number of prehistoric hills in different parts of the province is the proof of this claim. The results of the studies and excavations of the Nahavand Gian Tappeh show that the people living in the province six thousand years ago enjoyed a relatively advanced culture and civilization. The oldest Ashurian inscriptions called Hamedan as Ocasia, which means the city of Cassian, which shows that the province's central civilization dates back to the third millennium BC.

Archaeological excavations in the Godin and Cegavi mountains near Kangavar, as well as Nooshijan in Malayer, have revealed parts of the culture and the life of the Medes people at this time. These include the first examples of scripts, early forms of coins and the earliest examples of Iranian religious culture and architecture. According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, the Medes in the late eighth century BC, led by a person called Diako, achieved a political and military structure and established the first powerful government on Iran's plateau. Diako chose the city of Hamedan as the capital and by his order the huge fortresses consisted of the seven fences, each decorated in a special color, were built. The two central fences were covered with silver and golden Tablets, and Palaces and treasuries set up in central fence, and people had built their homes around these seven fences. Most of the scholars in archeology believe that Hegmataneh hill in Hamedan remains of the same fortifications. The city of Hamedan enjoyed great blessings during the 150 years of Medes rule, and after the overthrow of that government, though it lost its centrality, it was regarded as one of the three Achaemenid capital. The presence of Ganjnameh inscriptions, the remains of stone pillars, Achaemenid palaces, golden and silver cups and tablets of that time, obtained in Hamedan, indicate the importance of the city and the region during the period. In 330 BC, the city of Hamedan was destroyed by Alexander of Macedon, but because of its strategic position, it became his military headquarter. Late in the Seleucid period, the city of Hamedan was the place of numerous encounters with Parthians until finally, in 155 BC, Mehrdad Ashkani seized the city. From Ashkani and Seleucid period, Stone Lion status and the remains of a cemetery in the city of Hamedan, and few remnants of the temple of Laodisse in the city of Nahavand are remained. In a Pahlavi-language book called Cities, written at the time of Ghobad (500 AD), the establishment of Hamedan was attributed to Yazd Gerd I, indicating that there were significant developmental measures at that time in the city.

The Arab armies entered Hamedan by 26 AH (645 AD). Since the middle of the third century, the city was ruled by Alevism and the valuable building of the Alavian dome is a memorial of the period. In 319 AH, Mardavich Zayari, the founder of Al-Bouyi, killed many of its inhabitants, and took the famous Lion Stone down the gates of the city. In 345 AH, the city suffered a lot of damages by the earthquake, and religious disputes in 351 AH took a lot of lives. In the 4th and 5th centuries, there were a great deal of conflicts between Hasanwayhids, Daylamites, and Kakuyids in Hamedan, one of the main centers of the war between them. Also, the famous mystic and poet, Baba Taher, lived in Hamedan during this period. In the years from 387 to 412 AH, Shams al-Dawlah Abu Taher Shah Khosrow Dilami ruled in Hamedan, and Avicenna, the great Iranian doctor and scientist, was his minister in the city. At the end of the 5th century, the city was the capital of Boyuan Jabal. The Turkmen of Ghazi overrun the city at 420 AH, and since the mid-fifth century, the Seljuk Turks had conquered it. In the 6th century, by collapsing of their empire, Hamedan became the capital of Iraqi Seljuk. The Mongols invasion (618 to 621 AH) destroyed many of villages and cities of the province, including Hamedan and many of its people died in the heroic defense against Mongolian ruthless army. A little later, a town in the northern suburb of the former city called New Hamedan, was built. During the period Ilkhanis, the city almost regained its former importance and at the time of Khaje Rashid al-Din Fazlullah Hamedani ministry (718 AH), the city of Hamedan was particularly noted. Islamic monuments such as Ester and Mardakha, the former tomb of Baba Taher, Imamzadeh Azhar, Hood, Habughugh the prophet etc. are of this period. In the Safavid period the city, again, was developed. The creation of caravansaries, schools, bridges in the city of Hamedan and other parts of the province, including in Tuyserkan, indicate the Safavid's attention to the development of cities. During the Zandieh era, Hamedan was in the hands of its Emirs.

The name of Hamedan is seen for the first time in 1100 AH, in the inscription of Tiglath-Pileser I, the king of Assyria, which has been mentioned as Amadaneh or Hamadana, but in Achaemenid inscriptions it is mentioned as Hegmataneh and in the Herodotus book as Ekbatan.
The original name of the city was Hang Matana or Hakamatana which means place of gathering and is close to the word, association. It is written in Torah Rakhsha that the name is composed of Hakha Zandi and Sanai Pali, a branch of Sanskrit, and Sanai in Persian is equal to Setan which means place, and Akhmasa is translated as friendship city or friendship place, because the kings of Iran invited their friends to the city in the summer. Etemad al-Saltanah believed that the name of the city was Hamadan, in which Ham means together and Dan means capacity, which means Allied Assembly.