TEHRAN – A festival dedicated to making snowmen was held in the city of Tuyserkan, west-central province of Hamedan on Monday, a local tourism official has said.

The event was held as a part of a winter festival, which is currently underway across Hamedan, Es’haq Torkashvand explained on Tuesday. 

This event aimed to promote nature tourism as well as increase social vitality in the region, the official added.

Earlier in January, Hamedan’s deputy tourism chief Ali Khaksar announced that Hamedan is organizing a huge winter festival, scheduled to be held from February 13 to March 8.

“We intend to hold a different event full of social joy and cheerfulness,” the official said.

There will be both snow-related and non-snow-related programs, as well as craft, souvenir, and culinary exhibitions, a pumpkin festival, health and beauty activities, a coffee and chocolate exhibition, and a snowman-making competition, he explained.

Winter games, making snow sculptures, storytelling sessions, ski trips, puppet shows, and gastronomy events are other programs planned for the festival.

Known in classical times as Ecbatana, Hamedan was one of the ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city center are given over to excavations. Ecbatana was the capital of Media and subsequently a summer residence of the Achaemenian kings who ruled Persia from 553 to 330 BC.

Hamadan has had many names: it was possibly the Bit Daiukki of the Assyrians, Hangmatana, or Agbatana, to the Medes, and Ecbatana to the Greeks. One of the Median capitals, under Cyrus II (the Great; died 529 BC) and later Achaemenian rulers, it was the site of a royal summer palace. 

About 1220 Hamedan was destroyed by the Mongols. In 1386 it was sacked by Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, and the inhabitants massacred. It was partly restored in the 17th century and subsequently changed hands often between Iranian ruling houses and the Ottomans. 

Sitting on a high plain, Hamedan is graciously cool in August but snow prone and freezing from December to March. In summer the air is often hazy.

Ali Sadr cave, Ganjnameh inscriptions, Avicenna Mausoleum, Hegmataneh hill, Alaviyan dome, Jameh mosque, and St. Stephanos Gregorian Church are amongst Hamedan’s attractions to name a few.

ABU/