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NAHAVAND
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Located 150 kilometers south
of Hamadan, Nahavand is an ancient and historical city. It was the site of
the last war between the Iranian Sassanid troops and the Arab muslim
warriors There are still some remains of the ancient Nhavand on the slopes
of a hill. Nahavand had been one of the ancient centers of the pre-Aryan
tribes. The precious objects unearthes in Gian Hill region reveal that
pre-historic civilized people with progressive arts and culture lived in
this region. Meanwhile, Achaemenid and Sassanian remains have been found
in Gara Ghogha village in the vicinity of Nahavand. This is city has old
neighborhoods with urban establishments to meet the people’s requirements
. It is a cold city with agricultural products like grains, fruits and
famous handicrafts like rugs. |
THE SELEUCID TEMPLE
 On
the hillock in the center of the town of Nahavand, there is a ruined
temple from the Seleucid period, where an 85 by 46 cm slab of stone with
32-line inscription (royal decree) in old Greek, belonging to the reign of
Antiochos, was discovered during the excavations undertaken in 1943.
According to this inscription, Antiochos empowers her sister Queen Laodice,
with certain powers. The inscription is composed of two parts: I. a letter
from Mendomos, a government functionary in Nahavand; and 2. text of a
decree from Antiochos addressed to Mendomos in connection with the king's
decision to appoint his own sister as the priestess of the town of
Laodicia. Some archeologists believe Laodicia to have been built on the
site of the present Nahavand. The stone tablet which belongs to 193 BC, is
at present being preserved in the National Museum of Iran, Tehran. |
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