Hamadan

Hamadan or Hamedan ( , , Hamedān, , Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is a city in the Central District of Hamadan County, Hamadan province, Iran, serving as capital of the district, the county, and the province. At the 2006 National Census, its population was 473,149 in 127,812 households. The following census in 2011 counted 525,794 people in 156,556 households. The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 554,406 people in 174,731 households. Hamadan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities. It is possible that it was occupied by the Assyrians in 1100BCE; the Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, states that it was the capital of the Medes, around 700BCE. Hamadan has a green mountainous area in the foothills of the 3,574-meter Alvand Mountain, in the midwest part of Iran. The city is 1,850meters above sea level.