Iran's major touristic cities: Hamadan (Pt.1)

Alright so I'm keeping my promise of paying tributes to as many Persian cities as possible and so today I'm going to explore the city that gave us the one and only Avicenna. I mean he was born somewhere else but his resting place is in Hamadan.

I feel like this city is like a hidden gem inside of Iran. It's popularity rates don't go as high as cities like Shiraz or Isfahan but they should. As we go through this article I'm sure you'll come to see how great of a destination this city is and why you should go to visit it.

Hamadan city or as we call it in Persian "Hamedan" is located in the province of Hamadan itself, which is located somewhere in the middle of Iran, not too far east nor west. It is actually located next to Markazi province which is the central province. So yes it's not too far from Tehran like Shiraz. Before I go further, let's see how we can get there as easily as possible.

How to get there

well thankfully there is an airport, and oddly enough it is an international airport so you can use that medium to get to Hamadan as easily and as conveniently as possible. Now again I use websites like Alibaba. ir to book my domestic flights, so I suggest you guys to check out their website. The fare is pretty much like traveling to any other city in Iran, it starts from 80, 000 Tomans per way to about 200, 000 Tomans per way. Which is like 20 Euros to about 50 Euros. Again it all depends on the time you book, try to pre book your flight because it is so much cheaper that way. Now there are no train routes to Hamadan yet, so train is out of the picture and the only remaining option is the bus.

As for the buses, they are way more affordable, as you all can guess, from Tehran to Hamadan the journey takes about 4-5 hours, depending on the number of stops. The price is about 30, 000 Tomans to 60, 000 Tomans. That is like 10 Euros to 20 Euros max. Sometimes it's actually cheaper to catch a flight but yea. Now that we got that covered, let's move on to more exciting parts.

What's there to see in Hamadan?

Well this city like Shiraz and Isfahan is the origin of many important poets, scientists and influential people. But mostly importantly it's home to one of Iran’s most important natural wonders and one of the rarest water caves in all of the world. I bet that got your attention, didn’t it?

Ali Sadr Cave

Hamadan is also home to Iran's largest cave, which is considered one of the most beautiful caves in the entire world. It is truly one of kind and I have never seen anything like it before. I'm sure you guys are bound to fall in love with it. I'll get to it in more details now.

(Traveling by boat in the Ali Sadr water cave)

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(Another picture from inside of the cave and the boats)

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A lot of people just visit Hamadan for this cave or "Ghar" as we call it in Persian; they just get on a bus to get to Hamadan and then just get a cab straight to the cave without seeing the city first. I don't really suggest that, I mean yes the cave is what makes Hamadan special but the city has a lot to offer apart from the cave and that is why I think you should visit the city too. Anyhow moving on from that, Ali Sadr cave is located about 80 kilometers northwest of Hamadan, considered one of the world's finest natural wonders; this cave should definitely be on your travel bucket list. Ali Sadr is one of the rarest of it's kind, rarest in the sense that it's a water cave, and it's a type of cave that you can row in. Imagine being in the depth of the water and rowing, I mean you wouldn't be doing the paddling but still. The serenity and the magnificence of this cave is mesmerizing, you'll be awe struck the moment you set foot into that cave.

(What I mean by serenity)

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Funny thing is everyone thinks you'll be traveling along the cave by foot; truth is you couldn't be more wrong. For some distance yes, you will be traveling by foot but for the rest of the journey you will be traveling by boat, alongside the long narrow but well lit tunnels. Temperatures dropping as you go deeper into the depths of the tunnel, the sound of the paddles in the cold freezing water making its way towards your ears. You look around you and realize how deep inside of the earth you are, how far you've come and you feel closer to Mother Nature than you ever have. You feel a sense of unity between you and the world and it's liberating. I know I painted quite a picture; I should have studied creative writing.

Anyhow not even a single word of that I had to make up, it's the complete truth of how I felt when I visited the cave. It is definitely a one in a life time experience. The water in the cave has no smell, no taste and no animals or plants live in it, which makes it even more bizarre and intriguing all together. I still remember the words of our tour guide as he explained about the water in there, the temperature of the water stays at about 12 degrees all year, and the water is so clear that you could literally see so far down the water with your naked eyes. Super interesting stuff, I almost wish I could go back again and see it all over again. The walls of the cave are decorated with all those crystals, some gigantic, some really small but all of them magnificent nonetheless. I honestly could go on raving about this cave and its natural beauty all day but truth is you would only fully fathom the wonders of it if you visit it and see it with your own eyes.

(The cave crystals, they are even more precious when you see it for yourself)

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A little fun fact about the history of the cave, it has been found that the cave belonged to the Jurassic period, about 130-190 million years ago, and it was used as a shelter for early humans. And now us late humans get to visit it, How cool right? The cave was discovered by the villagers but authorities never found out about it until a group of researchers went and discovered a little part of the cave with their own flashlights. The news of the cave then spread throughout Iran and then the government launched a project to open the cave for public visitation. Nonetheless, the cave opened in 1352 (Persian calendar) that's in 1973 to public. About 14 kilometers of the cave have been discovered but only about 4 kilometers of it are open to public.

I explained everything there is about the cave but outside of the cave there are certain facilities that you can use. There is a motel, not a good one but good enough for those who plan to stay overnight and then leave the next day. The price of the rooms are about 40, 000- 60, 000 Tomans per person, which is like 10 Euros to 20 Euros. The thing is some people reach earlier at night and pre buy the tickets for the morning. That is actually good because most of the times the cave is super crowded and it's extremely difficult to get a ticket. The price of the ticket is about 40, 000 to 50, 000 Tomans per person; it might vary according to the season. That is about 10 Euros to 15 Euros maximum. It is a little bit expensive but it is as every bit as worth it.

Oh also if you are asking me I really recommend you guys go to the cave with one of those one day tours, it is just so much more convenient. I mean it is a little bit pricier but it is so much easier and it is guaranteed that you can get a ticket. There are one day tours from Tehran or you could get a tour once you get to Hamadan itself. There is also a restaurant, small bazaar to purchase food and other food related products and a small shop that sells traditional artifacts next to the cave facilities.

I'm pretty sure I covered everything there is to know on the cave and I really hope my explanations clarify things up. This place is a “must go” place in all of Iran. Don’t miss out on it.

Avicenna’s resting place

This place is Hamadan’s symbol and one of the most important touristic sites in all of the city and even the state. I personally have a really strong connection to Avicenna, I feel his teachings deep inside my heart and have the most respect for his work. When I got to visit his gravesite and that beautiful landmark I was extremely overjoyed. I think that is one of the most prominent memories of my childhood. I think his books and his method of medicine have moved the world’s scientific understanding forward in many ways. After all he is the most famous Iranian scientist and his teachings are highly used in medicine all around the world, even until today.

(An overview of Avicenna's resting place)

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(Another more artistic picture of the building with it's pillars)

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His resting place is located in Avicenna square right in the city center. His original resting place was built during the Qajar period but the building that we see now was constructed during Mohammad Reza Shah’s reign to celebrate Avicenna’s 1000 th birthday. The architect of the site got inspirations from a building located in Golestan state in Iran. It is truly a work of art. The outside of the building is astounding, with it's unique architecture which is bound to catch your eye. There are 12 pillars to the building The inside of the site, there are two halls, one of the halls is a museum which holds some discovered materials, most of them aren’t related to Avicenna but go back to his time. There are things like coins, earthenware and some other stuff. I remember not being all that interested in the museum.

The other hall is library, which contains more than 8000 hand written and published books, all of them belonging to many years back. I loved this section because there was also a section on Avicenna’s books and his other works. There is also a gift shop where you could purchase some of the books. On the other side of this site, there is a small park which contains a statue of Avicenna holding a book; the statue is about 3 meters tall; the whole statue is made up of marble stones.

(A statue of Avicenna holding a book)

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Oh oh I almost forgot, the best part was the part that you can see a picture of Avicenna’s decaying skull, it is assumed that it was taken during the time they were rebuilding his resting place and all. Ok I don’t know why I said that is the best part, it's clearly not. Please don’t stop reading my blog cause of that.

I think that pretty much covers the whole place. I hope you guys do get to visit this special landmark.

As for now I have mentioned the most important places of Hamadan and I will add on to the list if there is any more. Hope you guys enjoy this piece. As per tradition, keep in touch with me I love to talk to you guys.

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