Hamadan

City in northwest Iran and capital of the province of the same name, lying at an altitude of 1,800 m/5,905 ft; population (2006) 479,600. Carpets and rugs are traded and it is the centre of a grain and fruit-growing area. The tomb of the Arab philosopher and physician Avicenna is here, as well as a pair of cuneiform inscriptions to Darius and Xerxes at Gange Namay at the foot of nearby Mount Alvand (3,000 m/9,842 ft), and the reputed tomb of Esther and Mordecai. The town lies on the site of Ecbatana, capital of the Medes (an ancient Indo-European people).