Hamadan
[key], city, capital of Hamadan prov., W Iran, at the foot of Mt. Alwand.
Located at an altitude of 6,000 ft (1,829 m), it is the trade center for a
fertile farm region where fruit and grain are grown. The city is noted for
its rugs, leatherwork, textiles, chemicals, and wood and metal products. In
ancient times, as Hangmatana or Agbatana, it was a capital of Media. It was known to the Greeks as
Ecbatana. In the
7th cent. Hamadan passed to the Arabs, and it was later held by the Seljuk
Turks (12th–13th cent.) and the Mongols (13th–14th cent.). The
city has had a Jewish colony for many years; the reputed tombs of Mordecai
and Esther (see Esther, book of the
Bible) are there. Avicenna, the
physician and philosopher, is buried in Hamadan.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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