Hegmataneh

Hegmataneh is the mound of ancient Ecbatana, capital of the Medes and later a summer residence of the Achaemenids, described by Herodotus as a city of seven concentric walls each painted a different colour, and buried under Hamadan ever since. Excavation on a fenced area in the middle of the modern city has uncovered a grid of mud-brick streets and buildings from the Parthian and later periods, laid out with a regularity that surprised the excavators, along with foundations, drains and storage rooms, and the deeper Median levels remain largely unreached beneath. A museum on the site holds finds, including Achaemenid gold and inscribed tablets. Excavation continues, and a large part of the ancient city still lies under the streets around.

History

According to Herodotus, Deioces, the first ruler of the Medes, chose Ecbatana as his capital in 678 BC and built a palace inside seven nested walls, each in the colour of a planet. After Cyrus the Great took the city in 550 BC it became a summer capital, treasury and royal archive of the Achaemenids on the road from Persepolis to Sardis, and later a summer capital of the Parthians. Charles Fossey made the first excavation in 1913, Iran began buying land on the mound in 1969, and digging started in 1983 and continues (Wikipedia, Ecbatana).

What you'll find

• A grid of mud-brick streets - Parthian-period planning under the modern city.
• The excavated mound - a fenced dig in the middle of Hamadan.
• The site museum - Achaemenid gold and tablets from the excavations.
• The unreached Median levels - the older city still under the ground.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Two hours. The dig is open ground with little shade. Weekday mornings are quiet. Winter is cold and the site is exposed.

Good to know

What is exposed is the later city, not the Median capital everybody has read about, which disappoints some visitors. Herodotus's seven coloured walls have never been found. There is no shade and limited interpretation in English. Excavation areas may be closed.

Nearby

The Avicenna mausoleum is nearby; Ganjnameh lies on the mountain road.

Key facts