Ganjnameh Inscriptions

About this place

Ganjnameh, «Treasure Book», is a site on the slopes of Mount Alvand southwest of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana) in western Iran, about 8 km from central Hamadan in a straight line, at around 2,000 metres. It holds two trilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions. The upper-left inscription was carved on the order of the Achaemenid king Darius the Great (r. 522–486 BC) and the right one by his son, King Xerxes (r. 486–465 BC). Each is carved in twenty lines on a granite rock above a creek, measuring 2 by 3 metres, in Old Persian, Neo-Babylonian and Neo-Elamite, and the two texts are identical apart from the king's name. Ecbatana served as a summer capital in the Achaemenid period for its altitude and mild weather. The name comes from locals who believed the inscriptions held the secret of a hidden treasure. The two inscriptions appear as rectangular panels cut into the face of a huge sandy-reddish rock, framed by green poplars, with a small waterfall tumbling between rocks nearby. Visitors view the inscriptions from below, then walk to the nearby waterfall and stroll the valley. It is cool in summer and a favourite outing for Hamadan's residents. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.