Jun 12

The day when Hamedan became the capital of Iran

Sina Based on the writings of historians of the ancient era and documents remaining from those times, and almanac calculations, the contemporary historians know 12 June 625 BC (2633 years ago) as the day when Hovakhshatra (Kiakozar = Siakharas = Siakharis) made Hamedan the capital of Iran. Hamedan, which the Greek histories called Ekbatana, was previously the summer venue for meetings of high rank authorities and possibly, this name was given to this place for the same reason. Hovakhshatra was the leader of the Iranians of those times and from the Medes clan whom the Pars clan (‘Parsua’ as pronounced by Assyrians and also by the Medes) would also obey. He was the one who united with the king of Babylonia and overthrew the tyrant Assyrian empire forever. In 612 BC, after conquering and destroying the city of Nineveh, it was during the time of Hovakhshatra that the first division of lands between the powers of those days was initiated and this innovation is practiced till today. In that year Assyria and its conquered lands were divided between Iran, Babylonia and Egypt. The king of the time sent a group of Medes Iranians to that part of the Assyrian lands, which had become Iran’s share (north of today’s Iraq) to reside there and prevent restoring of power by Assyrians. The Kurds of Iran, Turkey and Syria are descendants of those same Medes groups that were sent from Iran. The Iranian clan called the Parthians = Pahlu, Tajikestan of today, were residing, in those days, in greater Khorasan, Gorgan and Tabarestan (Mazandaran). Hamedan which was capital of Iran 26 centuries ago, was also one of the two administrative capitals of Achamenians (Soosa in winter and Hamedan in summer). Hamedan was also the scene of one of the biggest and most famous wars of Iran for independence , which occurred on 12 June, the story of which is written in the next article.     Ester, the wife of Xerxes (the queen of those days) and Abu Ali Sina, the great Iranian scientist, are buried in Hamedan. Esther          Translation by Rowshan Lohrasbpour (AmordadNews Writer)