Western Iran - Iran - page 278

Tehran buses take either the expressway via Takestan or the more direct road via Saveh,
but few go via Qazvin. Expect delays after fresh snow.
Minibus & Savari
There are two minibus terminals. Use the Main Minibus Terminal (Zaman-e Hamadani
Blvd) , northeast of the centre, for Kermanshah, Sanandaj (maybe changing in Qorveh),
Bijar (at 11am and noon via Qorveh) and Ali Sadr (several daily). Use Terminal Qadim
(Ekbatan St) for hourly minibuses to Tuyserkan, more frequent services to Malayer (and
thence Nahavand or Borujerd and on to Khorramabad), and to Asadabad (for Kangavar).
Savaris to Malayer wait outside.
Savaris to Kermanshah (US$4), Sanandaj (US$4) and Tehran (US$13) leave from rel-
evant points near Sepah Sq. The Tehran savaris are well-organised with a sign-up booth (
423 8669) .
Getting Around
Shuttle taxis run along the spokes of Hamadan's cartographic wheel for US$0.50 (one
block), US$1 (longer hop) or US$1.50 (dar baste) . Shuttle taxis to the bus and minibus
terminals leave from Ekbatan St.
Around Hamadan
GANJNAMEHهمان جنگ
ELEV 2170M
Literally translated as 'Treasure Book', Ganjnameh is so named because for years its
cuneiform rock carvings were thought to be cryptic clues to help find caches of mythical
Median treasure. Belatedly translated, the texts turn out instead to be a rather immodest
thank you to the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda from the Achaemenid monarch Xerxes (r
486-466 BC) for making him such a very, very good king. To emphasise the point the
message is repeated in three languages (Old Persian, Elamite and neo-Babylonian) on
rock faces some 2m high. A second panel similarly commemorates his dad, Darius.
The site is in a rural mountain valley at Hamadan's westernmost extremity, some 8km
from the centre. From the parking area, the carvings are a very obvious two-minute stroll
passing a row of tatty teahouses, souvenir stalls and snack bars. Just beyond is a 9m-high
waterfall that becomes a popular ice-climbing spot when frozen in winter. At weekends