Hecatompylos
Encyclopedia
Hecatompylos was an ancient city in west Khurasan
, Iran
, which was the capital of the Parthia
n Arsacid dynasty by 200 BCE. The Greek name Hekatompylos means "one hundred gates", but this title was commonly used for cities which had more than the traditional four gates. It may be understood better as the "Many Gated".
Alexander the Great stopped here in the summer of 330 BCE and it became part of the Seleucid Empire
after Alexander's death. The Parni
tribe took the city around 238 BCE and made it one of the first capitals of their Parthian Empire
. It was mentioned as the royal city of the Parthians by a number of classical writers including Strabo
, Pliny
, Ptolemy
, although the Parthians seemed to have used a number of cities as their "capital" at different periods.
It is estimated to have had an area of 28 km² at its peak, which would indicate a population
in the tens of thousands.
The site of this ancient city is now called Šahr-e Qumis, between Semnan and Damqan in the Semnan Province
.
s close to the city of Damghan
, which would place the resort at about 30 km northeast of the historic site. Source
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, 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...
, which was the capital of the Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n Arsacid dynasty by 200 BCE. The Greek name Hekatompylos means "one hundred gates", but this title was commonly used for cities which had more than the traditional four gates. It may be understood better as the "Many Gated".
Alexander the Great stopped here in the summer of 330 BCE and it became part of the Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
after Alexander's death. The Parni
Parni
The Parni or Aparni were an east Iranian people of the Ochus River valley, southeast of the Caspian Sea...
tribe took the city around 238 BCE and made it one of the first capitals of their Parthian Empire
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
. It was mentioned as the royal city of the Parthians by a number of classical writers including 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...
, 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...
, Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, although the Parthians seemed to have used a number of cities as their "capital" at different periods.
It is estimated to have had an area of 28 km² at its peak, which would indicate a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
in the tens of thousands.
The site of this ancient city is now called Šahr-e Qumis, between Semnan and Damqan in the Semnan Province
Semnan Province
Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its center is Semnan. The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts.Counties of...
.
Modern Development
In 2011 plans for a "International Project of Tourism & Recreational City" were published, using the name of Hecatompylos. The project envisions to use an area of 250 hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s close to the city of Damghan
Damghan
Damghan is a city in and capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families.Damghan is situated from Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of...
, which would place the resort at about 30 km northeast of the historic site. Source
External links
- Magiran.com, a magazine named Qumis
- Livius.org, a good brief history plus some stunning photos.
- Hecatompylos.com, resort project homepage