Table of Contents

• HĄM.VAINTĪ

  Bernfried Schlerath

  Zoroastrian divinity “Victory,” only attested as a companion with Āxšti “Peace.”

• HAMADĀN

  Multiple Authors

  province, governorship, and city located in the Zagros region of western Persia.

• HAMADĀN i. GEOGRAPHY

  Parviz Aḏkāʾi and EIr

  Hamadān is one of the western provinces of Persia, situated to the southwest of Tehran between latitudes 33°59′ and 35°48′ N and longitudes 47°34′ and 49°36′ E. The city of Hamadān is located at an altitude of 1,645 m on the eastern slope of the Alvand massif. In the National Physical Plan (Ṭarḥ-e kālbodi-e melli), which divides the country into 10 regions, the province is identified as a part of the central Zagros sub-region.

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN ii. POPULATION

  Habibollah Zanjani

  This article is divided into two sections: (1) population of Hamadān province; and (2) population of Hamadān city.

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN iii. HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY

  Xavier de Planhol

  The city of Hamadān lies at the extreme northwest of the series of major urban sites stretching along the line of contact between the Zagros range and the central plateau.

• HAMADĀN iv. URBAN PLAN

  Abdolhamid Eshragh

  Hamadān is the only city in Persia which has a star-shaped urban design, with six boulevards and a network of avenues autonomously branching out in various directions from the circular city center. In 1928, German architects were given the task of designing a plan for the city which would modernize its urban infrastructure and be suitable for motor traffic. The resultant project was eventually implemented in 1933.

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN v - vi. HISTORY, ISLAMIC PERIOD

  Parviz Aḏkāʾi

  Hamadān was captured by the Arabs after their victory at the battle of Nehāvand, which took place in 640 or 642. The Arab army besieged the town and eventually conquered it for the second time in 22/642.

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN vii. MONUMENTS

  Ali Mousavi and EIr

  The city of Hamadān, besides its pre-Islamic remains, comprises some important monuments belonging to the Islamic period. The most significant of these is the mausoleum called Gonbad-e ʿAlawiān. It is a square, relatively massive monument, almost entirely of baked brick. Its façade was once covered with opulent stucco decoration.

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN viii. JEWISH COMMUNITY

  Houman Sarshar

  The earliest reference to the Jews in Hamadān is in The Old Testament, according to which a group of Israelites were brought to the Persian plateau ca. 722 BCE (2 Kings 18.11).

  This Article Has Images/Tables.

• HAMADĀN ix. JEWISH DIALECT

  Donald Stilo

  The dialect spoken by the Jews of Hamadān belong to the Central Plateau Dialect group of Northwestern Iranian languages, as opposed to Southwestern Iranian (e.g., Persian).

  This Article Has Images/Tables.