Hamadan is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is first mentioned in an Assyrian text from Tiglath Pilesir I, around 700 BCE, as a city built by the first Median King, but it may well be much older. It was the capital of the Median Empire and later the summer capital of the Achaemenidians. It was destroyed a few times, not the least of which by Timur, and rebuilt. Life has continued here through tragedy and glory for at least 2,500 years. In the center of the city lie the remains of the ancient city up through the Sassanid Period. Archeological work is ongoing and they have a large metal ceiling over a section of what was a residential area, where archeologists are still digging below the Sassanid layers. There is a museum on site that houses artifacts found in the region. They also have a fairly large coin collection starting with the Sassanid rulers. I took images of coins from various Sassanid kings, a few Parthians and a couple of Selucids, incl. one that is supposed to be of Alexander as indications of dress and hairstyles from the various periods. What was most noticeable about the museum collection on display, however, is the lack of any female images.
On the site behind the museum is a small Armenian church from the Sassanid period. It too has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, the latest appears to be in the 1970s. The church is dedicated to St. Mary, so there is some feminine figure watching out for the sites and the people who work there. Along the path to the church and in the church garden lovely white, pink, red, yellow and red-yellow roses were blooming.
From the main archeological area, we drove to the Baba Tahir monument where we came across a musician who was singing and reciting Baba Tahir’s medieval songs and poetry. The tomb itself is quite nice, simple and elegant, which befits someone like the ascetic poet. I find it wonderful that this country so honors its poets and scholars. I can’t imagine that people would flock to images of Whitman in the U.S. the way they do to their medieval authors here.
One of the main Jewish pilgrimage sites in Iran is to the Ester and Mordacai Tomb, but it was unfortunately closed as it was Saturday and they were celebrating Shabat. We were allowed to walk around the outside, though. We were also allowed into the synagogue by the Rabbi who also functions as a caretaker. He told us that there are now only 5 Jewish families, comprised of 50 people left in Hamadan. Most of the young people are moving to other cities when they go to university and they don’t come back. The Rabbi is a collector of pens and had I paid attention to the description in Lonely Planet, I would have known this and brought a special one. As it was I didn’t, but if you are planning on going to Hamadan and visiting these tombs, please do bring the Rabbi a pen.
Avicenna, medieval physician, astronomer, scientist, author, has his tomb in the middle of a park and is similar in architectural style to Baba Tahir’s. They were both built by the last Shah in the later 70s soon before the Revolution. The museum in the rooms to the right and left of the entrance houses medieval pottery, coins, some ancient medical equipment and one room just dedicated to copies of his Code of Medicine. Surrounding his tomb in the back room are framed images of dried plants and herbs that form the basis of his findings. The little shop at the entrance sells these dried plants and herbs in plastic bags for 60000 IR – about $2. I bought some heart medicine for my mother. She is to take a teaspoon of the herbs and boil it in water for 20 minutes and drink this tea twice a day for a month and her heart condition is supposed to improve. Inshallah!
In the museum at the Ancient City, there were replicas of two cuneiform reliefs, one written by Darius and the other by Xerxes. On leaving town we stopped by the real ones to see how they were situated in the landscape. They are at a crossroads coming down the mountain into the plains and would have been visible to all Silk Road visitors. It was during the height of cross-Asian land traffic, and is still now, a rest/picnic place by a very nice waterfall. I was told I should stay another night to see the waterfall and area at night as it is supposed to be beautiful. It was quite nice during the day. They are making the area into a complete recreation region complete with summer mountain sled and cable car. The Alvand Mountains frame Hamadan and provide water and recreation for the people. They are the one constant from all the cycles of conquest, destruction, rebuilding.
Leaving Hamadan behind we travelled on to Kangavar and the largest of the remaining Anahita Temples. Unfortunately, it is in terrible shape and most of the destruction probably occurred within the last hundred years as I found a 1851 sketch of the site where most of the buildings were more or less intact. The goddess’ temple was built by Ardishir II also known as Artaxerxes II who ruled from 404 -359 BCE. It was a very large complex that is now just a pile of rubble. Large boulders and sections from columns well over a meter in diameter lay strewn around this expansive area of ca. 220 m long and 210 m wide. The columns and stones indicate that it was built in a similar manner to other Achaemenian sites, such as Persepolis and Darius’ palace, the Apadana, in Susa. The temple itself was on a small hill with a fabulous view from all sides. There was a slight breeze where the temple would have been and it seemed the goddess would have been happy with her site 2,000 years ago. Now there are only remnants of three staircases, two on what appears to have been the original front side, that lead up to the first of what seems to have been three levels, with perhaps a fourth just for the main temple. The other staircase is off to the backside and looks like it was for non-official use as it leads to a platform on one end of the hill separate from what would have been the main structures. Classical historians said that the site was” a vast palace, four-fifths of a mile in circumference, built of cedar or cypress. In all of it, not a single plank or column stood but was covered by plates of silver or gold. Every tile of the floors was made of silver, and the whole building was apparently faced with bricks of silver and gold.” “The remains at Kangavar reveal an edifice that is Hellenistic in character, and yet display Persian architectural designs. The plinth’s enormous dimensions for example, which measure just over 200 m on a side and its megalithic foundations, which echo Achaemenid stone platforms, constitute Persian elements.” This is thought to be corroborated by the “two lateral stairways that ascend the massive stone platform recalling Achaemenid traditions.” (Kermanshah Tourist Guide)
What is striking about this site is that it is in such derelict condition given the attention that has been given to many of the other large archeological sites. The new mausoleum on the back corner of the site behind a few 3.45 m. high sort of reconstructed columns is clearly more valued than the goddess’ former residence. It was very sad to see this important part of the culture’s history so neglected.
Bishton means “beautiful place for the gods.” It is certainly a good place for them as it is a fairly tall mountain within the Zagros Range about 35km from Kermanshah. There are a number of interesting sites on the face of the mountain from a wide variety of eras. There is a prehistoric cave dwelling part way up the hill not far from three Parthian reliefs on a large boulder called the Belash Stone. Around a rock corner there is a wonderful small statue of a partially leaning, partially reclining, Hercules with lion skin under a tree from the 1st C CE. As one era often has to outdo earlier ones, Shiekh Alikhan Zanganeh’s Safavid inscription on land ownership is set in between two sections of much two earlier Mithridates II reliefs with the King on the left side of the Safavid inscription and remnants of Parthian noblemen or governors who are, unfortunately quite faded on the other. From the rock ledges one has a great view over a pool at the bottom of the mountain. Perhaps most important artifact is the famous relief of Darius with two of his military commanders and a line of 10 rebels who dared to rise up against him; the inscription details how they were to be punished. The inscriptions were written in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian, which makes it a kind of Persian Rosetta Stone. I was looking forward to studying the relief up close, but it is high on the side of the mountain and entirely closed off, even after I scrambled as far as I could. There was scaffolding up to it behind the fenced off area, so it is possible that restoration work is going on. Biston was an area where I would have liked to spend more time just wandering around on the barren hillside. I don’t know what the gods consider beautiful and I wouldn’t classify this mountain as such, but the views from it certainly were. The area is ringed by mountains with lush green fields in the valley. The modern city does sort of detract a bit, but the ruins of a former palace and old caravanserai focus one’s attention more than the contemporary landscape.
The last site of the day was Tagh-e Boston, which means the Arch of Boston and is a relief cut into an arch in Kermanshah. The arch has two angels on the outside upper side corners, with columns decorated with the tree of life below them. On the upper section inside the arch is the depiction of the investiture of Khorsrow Parvis, who receives a ring of power both from Ahura Mazda on his left and Anahita on his right. Below them is a relief of the Sassanid King Khosrau II as a warrior on his horse, Shabdiz. On the sides of the inner arch are hunting scenes with boar and deer.
A smaller arch next to the investiture portrays Shapur III facing his father Shapur the Great. The inscription for Shapur II reads: “This is the figure of the good worshiper of Izad (God), Shapur, the king of Iran and Aniran (non-Iran), divine race from God. Son of the good worshiper of God, Hormizd, the king of Iran and Aniran, divine race, grandson of Nersi, the Shahanshah (king of kings).” Shapur III’s inscription reads: “This is the figure of the good worshiper of Izad, Shapur, the king of Iran and Aniran, divine race from God. Son of the good worshiper of God, Shapur the king of Iran and Aniran, from divine race.”
Off to the right of the two arches is a relief with the investiture of Artaxerxes II (Ardashir II), which is supposed to be the oldest of these panels. It shows Mithra with Ardashir II and his son Shapur I. They are standing on the body of (perhaps) Artabanus IV, the last Parthian king, whose rule ended in 226 CE.
Across the pond and street from the relief panels are a series of restaurants in a shaded glen with flowing water in a variety of canals. It was a very pleasant place to stop for tea and a meal after a long day spent in the company of ancient rulers and their legacies.
