MUSEUM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF ECBATANE (HEGMATANEH)

Silverware, achéménides, parathians and sasanians are displayed in the museum. The archaeological site shows the state of the excavations. Ecbatane or Hegmataneh, literally «meeting place», will be forced as the capital of the Mede kingdom, comprising between 10 000 and 20 000 inhabitants, between the th century and the th century B.C. After the advent of the Persian Empire under the achaemenid dynasty, nevertheless remains the summer capital of the court. See at the entrance to the museum the impressive sarcophagi and skeletons of the second millennium before our era. Also note the pottery of the rd millennium B.C.A reproduction of the inscriptions of Ganjnameh, in old Babylonian and Ancient Persian, and des and seldjoukid bas-reliefs complete the whole. On the outside, dwell on the remains of the fortress walls and excavations. It is also possible to see the progress of excavations on the foundations of the city, where French archaeologists played a major role until the late 1960 s. The plane of the mede city clearly denotes a moralistic character. Before leaving, take a look at the old pipes and the overflow walls. The site finally houses the churches Sainte Marie, erected in 1852, and Grigore Stepan, older.