Hamedan
ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city centre are given over to excavations, and there's a scattering of historical curiosities. Sitting on a high plain, Hamadan is graciously cool in August but snow prone and freezing from December to March. In summer the air is often hazy, but on a rare, clear spring day there are impressive glimpses of snow-capped Alvand Kuh (3580m), sitting aloof above the ragged neocolonial cupolas of Imam Khomeini Sq.