Hamadan

Abu Ali Sina Museum

Image 1 of 83

I stayed in Hamadan for 2.5 months in autumn of 2013. Hamedan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities and one of the oldest in the world. It is possible that it was occupied by the Assyrians in 1100 BCE; the Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, states that it was the capital of the Medes, around 700 BCE. Click HERE to read more. Biblical history of Hamadan (Achmetha) can be read in Ezra: Ezra 6, 2.

It would take well over a year to see all of Hamadan province. Here I am attempting to show a day in the life of Hamadan so I did not heavily focus on buildings and monuments. Of course, bazaars play a critical role in the life of any city along the Silk Road. The city of Hamadan is no different. It’s bazaar dates back to the Qajar period and is within the limits of the Baba Taher, Ekbatan and Shohada avenues. This bazaar comprises of 30 rows (Rasteh) or sections: the goldsmiths, Chest-makers, locksmiths, butchers, confectioners, bookbinders, glassware, tin-makers, haberdasheries, shoe-makers, rope-makers, including others called by the names of Felestin, Hossain Khani, Haj Fazlolah, Golshan, tanneries etc. besides the alley to the Jame’ Mosque. The most beautiful section was the Persian rugs row. I spent about 45 min in this section and took a bunch of pictures. In this row, there is a subsection called Timcheh Kashaniha (Timcheh=small bazaar and Kashaniha=people from Kashan). This section is over 400 years old and is filled with handmade Persian rugs. Another fascinating section was the iron workers section. Here I videotaped a worker making a handmade pick (to see the video on YouTube click HERE). Finally, I ended up in the fresh fruits and vegetable section and here too I took a couple of short videos. Click HERE to view videos.

Translate »