Archeological explorations in Hegmataneh enter 20th season

The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) quoted Mohammad Rahim Ranjbaran, head of the exploration team recently as saying the purpose of the current exploration operations (documentation of the fortress of Hegmataneh), is to revitalize and organize the main lines and structure of the fortifications of Hegmataneh.

The passage of decades since the previous explorations and under the influence of atmospheric factors and inadequate protection widespread and serious damage has been inflicted on the remains of the structures, he added.

Meanwhile, Ranjbaran noted, documentation, investigation of the quality and nature and the geometry of the fortress is the first and basic step for conducting any protective study in future.

The first archaeological measure in Hegmataneh dates back to one century ago which was conducted by the French Charles Fossey who had been assigned by the Louvre Museum, he said.

Ranjbaran pointed to the archaeological achievements in Hegmataneh, and noted that constant excavations in the area have led to the identification of remains of outstanding archeological architecture of an ancient city which is mainly built with adobe material in 40x40x16 in accordance with a specific plan and pattern.

The ancient Hegmataneh area with a span of approximately 35 hectares is located in the old and central texture of the city of Hamedan and is among the first monuments which was included in the list of the National Monuments under No. 28 in the year 1310 (1931) as the capital of the Medes.

Based on the descriptions of the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century, Hegmataneh was the first capital of Persia and the Medes which was established by the founder of the dynasty Diaoco with massive and labyrinth walls, each in different colors.

He stated that writings remaining from the Greek historians and geographers leave no doubt about the location of Hegmataneh in the slopes of the Alvand Mountain and its present position and also the research and archeologists who have visited the present Hegmataneh in the past two centuries and the studies conducted in this regard almost all have the consensus that the remains belong to the Medes Hegmataneh.

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