Nahavand
Encyclopedia
Nahavand is a city in and capital of Nahavand County
, Hamadan Province
, Iran
. At the 2006 census, its population was 72,218, in 19,419 families. It is located south of Hamadan
, east of Malayer
and northwest of Borujerd
. Nahavand is one of the oldest existing cities in Iran.
Nahavand, Nahavend, Nahawand, Nahaavand, Nehavand, Nihavand or Nehavend, formerly called Mah-Nahavand, and in antiquity Laodicea ' onMouseout='HidePop("45825")' href="/topics/Arabic_language">Arabic
Ladhiqiyya), also transliterated Laodiceia and Laodikeia, Laodicea in Media, Laodicea in Persis, Antiochia in Persis, Antiochia of Chosroes , Antiochia in Media , Nemavand and Niphaunda.
cities of Apamea
and Xerxes. (Strabo
xi. p. 524 ; Xerxes
"Laodikeia") Pliny
(vi. 29) describes it as being in the extreme limits of Media, and (re-)founded by Xerxes I
.
The city was a center of Chosroes I's empire. After military reverses (ca. 540) following his sack of Syrian Antiochia
in 538, he was forced to rename his capital "Antiochia".
It is the site of the Battle of Nihawand
in 642 that completed the fall of the Sassanid Empire
and the Islamic conquest of Iran.
Natives of Nahavand include Benjamin Nahawandi
, who was a key figure in the development of Karaite Judaism
in the Early Middle Ages
, and 8th-century astronomer
Ahmad Nahavandi
, who worked at the Academy of Gundishapur
. The Persian hero Feroze Nahavandi was born here.
In another case they call Nahavand the city of secrets because there was a lot of cities under the current city.
) Nahwand in Arabic, Iranian and Turkish music. This mode is known for its wide variety of Western sounding melodies.
Nahavand County
Nahavand County is a county in Hamadan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Nahavand. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 30,903, in 7,490 families. The county is subdivided into four districts: the Central District, Giyan District, Zarrin Dasht District, and Khezel District...
, Hamadan Province
Hamadan Province
Hamedan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its center is Hamedan city. The province of Hamedan covers an area of 19,546 km². In the year 1996, Hamedan province had a population of approximately 1.7 million people....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. At the 2006 census, its population was 72,218, in 19,419 families. It is located south of Hamadan
Hamadan
-Culture:Hamadan is home to many poets and cultural celebrities. The city is also said to be among the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.Handicrafts: Hamadan has always been well known for handicrafts like leather, ceramic, and beautiful carpets....
, east of Malayer
Malayer
Malayer , also Romanized as Dowlatābād and Daūlatābād) is a city in and capital of Malayer County, Hamadan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 153,748, in 40,750 families....
and northwest of Borujerd
Borujerd
Borujerd is a city in and capital of Borujerd County, Lorestan Province in western Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 227,547, in 59,388 families....
. Nahavand is one of the oldest existing cities in Iran.
Name
It has been spelled differently in different books and sources:Nahavand, Nahavend, Nahawand, Nahaavand, Nehavand, Nihavand or Nehavend, formerly called Mah-Nahavand, and in antiquity Laodicea ' onMouseout='HidePop("45825")' href="/topics/Arabic_language">Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
Ladhiqiyya), also transliterated Laodiceia and Laodikeia, Laodicea in Media, Laodicea in Persis, Antiochia in Persis, Antiochia of Chosroes , Antiochia in Media , Nemavand and Niphaunda.
History
The city was founded by Darius I the Great, in Media along with the two other AchaemenidAchaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
cities of Apamea
Ganjnameh
Ganj Nameh is an ancient inscription, 5 km southwest of Hamedan, on the side of Alvand Mountain in Iran. The inscription, which has been carved in granite, is composed of two sections. One ordered by Darius I and the other ordered by Xerxes I...
and Xerxes. (Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
xi. p. 524 ; Xerxes
Xerxes
Xerxes is a male name. Most notably, it may refer to Xerxes I of Persia . It may also refer to:-People:*Xerxes II of Persia, reigned 424 BCE*Xerxes of Armenia, Armenian king, assassinated around 212 BCE...
"Laodikeia") Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
(vi. 29) describes it as being in the extreme limits of Media, and (re-)founded by Xerxes I
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:...
.
The city was a center of Chosroes I's empire. After military reverses (ca. 540) following his sack of Syrian Antiochia
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
in 538, he was forced to rename his capital "Antiochia".
It is the site of the Battle of Nihawand
Battle of Nihawand
The Battle of Nahāvand Battle of Nahāwand was fought in 642 between Arab Muslims and Sassanid armies. The battle is known to Muslims as the "Victory of Victories." The History of Tabari mentions that Firuzan, the officer serving the Persian King Yazdgerd III had about 50,000 men, versus a Muslim...
in 642 that completed the fall of the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
and the Islamic conquest of Iran.
Natives of Nahavand include Benjamin Nahawandi
Benjamin Nahawandi
Benjamin Nahawandi or Benjamin ben Moses or Benyamin ben Moshe al-Nahawendi was one of the greatest of the Karaite scholars of the early Middle Ages. His influence was so far-reaching that some regard him as the proper originator of Karaism as it has come down through the ages. The Karaite...
, who was a key figure in the development of Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, and 8th-century astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Ahmad Nahavandi
Ahmad Nahavandi
Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Nahavandi was a Persian astronomer of the 8th and 9th centuries. His name indicates that he was from Nahavand, a city in Iran....
, who worked at the Academy of Gundishapur
Academy of Gundishapur
The Academy of Gondishapur , also Jondishapur , was a renowned academy of learning in the city of Gundeshapur during late antiquity, the intellectual center of the Sassanid empire. It offered training in medicine, philosophy, theology and science. The faculty were versed in the Zoroastrian and...
. The Persian hero Feroze Nahavandi was born here.
In another case they call Nahavand the city of secrets because there was a lot of cities under the current city.
Music
Nahavand also gives its name to the musical mode (maqamArabic maqam
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
) Nahwand in Arabic, Iranian and Turkish music. This mode is known for its wide variety of Western sounding melodies.
External links
- Hamedan Province Cultural Heritage Website
- Persian History Website
- Smith, WilliamWilliam Smith (lexicographer)Sir William Smith Kt. was a noted English lexicographer.-Early life:Born at Enfield in 1813 of Nonconformist parents, he was originally destined for a theological career, but instead was articled to a solicitor. In his spare time he taught himself classics, and when he entered University College...
(editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman GeographyDictionary of Greek and Roman GeographyThe Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, first published in 1854, was the last of a series of classical dictionaries edited by the English scholar William Smith , which included as sister works A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities and the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and...
, "Laodiceia", LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, (1854)