Our cities
Explore each city’s unrepeatable delights and mysteries with your own eyes. Learn about the unique history and tales of you preferred city with its landscapes and sites, and much more…
- Abadan
- Abarkooh
- Abyaneh
- Ahvaz
- Amol
- Arak
- Ardabil
- Ardakan
- Astara
- Babol
- Babolsar
- Bam
- Bandar Abbas
- Bandar Anzali
- Birjand
- Borazjan
- Boroujerd
- Bushehr
- Chabahar
- Chalous
- Damghan
- Dezful
- Gorgan
- Hamadan
- Ilam
- Isfahan
- Jiroft
- Kashan
- Kerman
- Kermanshah
- Khorramabad
- Kish
- Lahijan
- Mahan
- Mahmoud Abad
- Maku
- Mashhad
- Meybod
- Naein
- Nour
- Nowshahr
- Oraman
- Qazvin
- Qeshm
- Qom
- Rafsanjan
- Ramsar
- Rasht
- Sanandaj
- Sari
- Semnan
- Shahr-e Kord
- Shahroud
- Shiraz
- Shush
- Shushtar
- Sirjan
- Tabriz
- Tehran
- Tonekabon
- Urmia
- Yasuj
- Yazd
- Zahedan
- Zanjan
Hamadan
Capital of Persian history and civilization
Dubbed the capital of Persian culture and civilization, Hamadan is a city situated at the foot of the Alvand Mountain, 360 kilometers from the capital Tehran. The city has mild, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
Located along the ancient Silk Road, Hamadan is one of the oldest cities of Iran, which is said to have been built by the first median king, Deioces (709-656 BC). Deioces is said to have built a capital for himself he named Hegmataneh or (Ecbatana )meaning ‘City for all’ or ‘place of gathering’ as he united all Median tribes to establish his kingdom.
The city was ruined during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562 BC) and was rebuilt by Darius I (550 – 486 BC). The Parthians (247 BC–224 CE) and Sassanids (224 - 651 CE) chose Hamadan as their summer capital because of its mild weather, building magnificent palaces to serve as their residence during the warmer months of the year.
Hamaden fell into ruin following the fall of the Sassanid Empire. It was not until the 18th century and the rule of the Safavids (1502 – 1736) that Hamadan once again flourished and became a thriving center of commerce. Hamadan was invaded in World War I and its control was returned to the Iranian government in 1918 at the end of the war.
This ancient city is home to Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious communities. The Tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan is a revered Jewish pilgrimage site.
Alavian Dome, Nazari House and Garden, the Stone Lion, and the tomb of poet Baba Tahir and Ganjnameh inscription are some of the major attractions of the city.
Hamedan is the final resting place of Persian polymath Avicenna (980-1037). Some of the other famous personalities from the city include mystic, philosopher, poet and mathematician Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani (1098–1131), Sufi master and poet Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi (1213 – 1289), journalist, political activist and poet Mirzadeh Eshghi (1893 - 1924), historian and one of the founders of Encyclopedia Iranica Ehsan Yarshater (1920), Iranian scientist Samuel Rahbar (1929 - 2012) and director Amir Shahab Razavian (1965).
Hamadan
Capital of Persian history and civilization
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Population
550, 000
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Coordinates
34°48′N 48°31′E
Top things to do:
Top foods to try:
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Ash-e Berenj or Rice Soup- A soup made of lentil, rice and coriander served with yogurt or verjuice.
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Ash-e Abghoreh or Verjuice Soup- A soup consisting of lentil, bulgur, rice, split pea, tomato and minced meat cooked to perfection in verjuice with a combination of leafy greens like spinach, coriander, parsley and wild leak.
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Ab-Goosht-e Felfel or Pepper Ab-Goosht- A spicy soup with lamb, legumes, potatoes, tomatoes and green chili, served with lemon juice and local bread.