Hegmataneh

Brief synthesis

Hegmataneh is amongst the ancient cities of the Middle East perceived as the capital of the Medes Empire and continued to be one of the most important government seats through the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sasanian, and Islamic periods. The site's name is interpreted as taken from the term “Hangmata”, meaning “gathering place”. In ancient sources, Hegmataneh is mentioned under different names, such as “Ecbatana, Egbatana” in Greek and “Ecbatana, Ecbatanis Partierum” in Latin. Herodotus refers to a gathering of the Medes wherein Diaco (Dayukku) was appointed king. Hegmataneh, perceived as the capital of the Medes Empire, continued to serve as the summer capital and an important government seat in later periods, including the Achaemenid and Parthian eras.

Criterion (ii): Hegmataneh exhibits important evidence of the cultural interchanges among the cultures and civilisations of the Middle East in antiquity. The archaeological remains of town planning and architecture of the Parthian period, as well as the presence of artefacts made for the royal palaces in Susa and Persepolis, testify to the craftsmanship of the masters of Hegmataneh and the transfer of knowledge from Hegmataneh to other major ancient cities.

Criterion (iii): Hegmataneh, one of the ancient government seats in the Middle East, provides exceptional evidence of the cultural, social, economic and political developments in the Iranian Plateau in the 1st millennium BCE. The property provides important and rare evidence of the Medes civilisation and important evidence of the cultures and civilisations that successively occupied the city. Among these, the archaeological remains of the Parthian era present an exceptional testimony of the creative planning and architectural solutions developed through interactions amongst diverse ethnicities and religions.

Integrity

The Hegmataneh Hill archaeological site includes the archaeological remains from the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian periods that have remained largely intact.

Authenticity

The archaeological evidence of the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid eras is preserved in situ on the Hegmataneh Hill archaeological site and museum. The excavated mudbrick walls have been conserved using various methods: covered with an overhead canopy, plastered with a layer of a traditional mix of mud and straw, covered with soil, or encased in protective shells. Some parts of the Hegmataneh fortification walls have been reconstructed with traditional materials for interpretation purposes.

Protection and management requirements

The property is owned and managed by the state and fully protected by law. National law and bylaws, such as the Law for Protection of National Heritage (1930), the Bylaw Concerning Prevention of Unauthorised Excavation (1980), and the Bylaw on Conservation of Iranian Cultural Heritage (2002), regulate different aspects concerning protection, conservation, maintenance, and development. The national development plans and strategy documents, as well as conservation standards prepared by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran (IMCHTH) provide an additional set of national protective measures for the property.

The Hegmataneh Base, the site management body of the IMCHTH, is the primary management authority for the property and its buffer zone. It is directly responsible for all conservation actions, planning, and coordination in the designated property and its buffer zone. The activities of the Base are supervised by the Hamedan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Head Office and the IMCHTH through its provincial branch. The work of the Base is supported by a Steering Committee and a Technical Committee. The Steering Committee ensures administrative coordination among the central and local state bodies, academia, and experts. It also approves annual management plans, research project proposals, and annual technical reports by the Base. The Technical Committee manages the technical conservation issues and monitoring of the property via cross-sectoral working groups for restoration, social policies, training, tourism, economic planning, security, urban services, and infrastructure. The Hegmataneh Base has an adequate budget and level of staffing to fulfil its statutory duties.

Tourism is among the priorities for the development of the historic city and is included in different urban plans and strategies. The National Tourism Development Plan and the Comprehensive Tourism Plan of Hamedan Province provide the policy framework for planning tourism development in the area. There is no visitor pressure in the property except during Nowruz (Iranian New Year), when the pressure is mitigated by increasing the number of guards and guides and improving guidance for visitors to the archaeological sites. Planning, monitoring, and developing tourism and tourist products is the responsibility of the provincial branch of the IMCHTH, while the Hegmataneh Base manages visitors at the archaeological sites. Development of the tourism infrastructure is amongst the components of the short-, medium-, and long-term objectives of the management plan, which includes actions such as adapting historic buildings for tourism purposes, improving public spaces, lighting and street furniture, updating the entrance control system of the Hegmataneh archaeological site, enhancing tourist routes and visitor facilities, managing visitation time, educating visitors, training tour guides, and improving security.

There is an adequate legal and policy framework to encourage public participation in heritage conservation, as well as in cultural and economic life in general. Various departments of the provincial Office of the Governor-General, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in Hamedan, non-governmental organisations, as well as the Hegmataneh Base and the IMCHTH, share the responsibility for ensuring the participation of local communities, including women and youth, in different activities and programmes. Participation of local communities in the management of the property is enabled through the Steering Committee of the Base. The representatives of the Committee are drawn mostly from institutional partners. The link with the community is made through the chairpersons or representatives of the Chamber of Guilds, City Council, and non-governmental organisations.