The archaeological remains of ancient Hegmataneh are located in northwestern Iran. Continuously inhabited for nearly three millennia, Hegmataneh provides important and rare evidence of the Medes civilization in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE and later served as a summer capital of Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian rulers.

Brief synthesis Hegmataneh is amongst the ancient cities of the Middle East perceived as the capital of the Medes Empire and continued to be one of the most important government seats through the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sasanian, and Islamic periods. The site's name is interpreted as taken from the term “Hangmata”, meaning “gathering place”. In ancient sources, Hegmataneh is mentioned under different names, such as “Ecbatana, Egbatana” in Greek and “Ecbatana, Ecbatanis Partierum” in Latin. Herodotus refers to a gathering of the Medes wherein Diaco (Dayukku) was appointed king. Hegmataneh, perceived as the capital of the Medes Empire, continued to serve as the summer capital and an important government seat in later periods, including the Achaemenid and Parthian eras. Criterion (ii): Hegmataneh exhibits important evidence of the cultural interchanges among the cultures and civilisations of the Middle East in antiquity. The archaeological remains of town planning and architecture of the Parthian period, as well as the presence of artefacts made for the royal palaces in Susa and Persepolis, testify to the craftsmanship of the masters of Hegmataneh and the transfer of knowledge from Hegmataneh to other major ancient cities. Criterion (iii): Hegmataneh, one of the ancient government seats in the Middle East, provides exceptional evidence of the cultural, social, economic and political developments in the Iranian Plateau in the 1st millennium BCE. The property provides important and…