Most cities of the Province
especially Hamedan, Nahavand and Toyserkan
are very ancient. Herodot,
Greek historian Called Hamedan as Ekbatan and said that
Diaeco (founder of Median dynasty) has built it.
Achamenidae called Hamedan Hegmataneh (place to
assemble) and chose it as their capital. As you read in
history of Iran, Hamedan was the first capital of the
first government in Iran. Archeological excavations in
Gyan Hill (Nahavand), site of Habakuk the Prophet and
his immigration to Tuyserkan (about 700 BC), Babakamal
historical hill in Tuyserkan, Nooshijan historical hill
near Malayer show the antiquity of these three cities.
Various cultural and historical monuments
in Hamedan cause that in the
date of April 21th , 1991 in the Nation Supreme
Council of Architecture&
Urbanism meeting,This city has
recognition as one of the six historical and
cultural cities of the country.
Sang-e Shir (Stony Lion Statue)
Stony Lion Statue is one
of the ancient history
monuments in Hamedan,
which is located in the
center of a square of
the same name. The hill
on which the statue is
located is an ancient
one. Because a
Parthian coffin was
found there and now this
coffin is in Hegmataneh
museum.
At first this statue and
its symmetry were placed
al the entrance gate of
Hamedan and when Arabs
conquered Hamedan called
it Bab ol-Asad (it means
the Gate of the Lion).
In 899 AC when Deylamian
occupied Hamedan, they
destroyed the city gate
completely and Mardavij
Deylami who intended to
transfer one of the
Stony Lions to Rey broke
the claws of one and
demolished the other.
The damaged statue had
been fell down until
[950, now it rests upon
n stone base that was
provided for it by Eng.
Pulak (the designer and
architecture of Avicenna
10mb) in 1950.
There are discordant
opinions about the date
of making the Stony Lion
statue but the kind of
Statue's curvings and
its vicinity to Parthian
rampart and the Parthian
coffin which was found
there show that the
statue belongs to
Parthian period. This
monument was registered
as an Iranian national
and Historical monument
No. 93, dated 4. 1.
1932.
