Ekbatan Town ( fa, شهرک اکباتان, ) is a
planned town in western
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. It is located approximately five kilometers west of central Tehran.
Etymology
The town is named after
Ecbatana
Ecbatana ( peo, 𐏃𐎥𐎶𐎫𐎠𐎴 ''Hagmatāna'' or ''Haŋmatāna'', literally "the place of gathering" according to Darius I's inscription at Bisotun; Persian: هگمتانه; Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭬𐭲𐭠𐭭; Parthian: 𐭀𐭇 ...
, the capital city of the ancient
Median Empire
The Medes (Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, the ...
around 700 BC. It was
the first capital of ancient
Iranians to be established in
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
, and is the ancestor of the modern city of
Hamedan.
The word ''Ekbātān'' is a variant of ''
Ecbatana
Ecbatana ( peo, 𐏃𐎥𐎶𐎫𐎠𐎴 ''Hagmatāna'' or ''Haŋmatāna'', literally "the place of gathering" according to Darius I's inscription at Bisotun; Persian: هگمتانه; Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭬𐭲𐭠𐭭; Parthian: 𐭀𐭇 ...
'' ( el, Εκβάτανα ) which derives from
Old Persian
Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...
''Haŋgmetana'', meaning "place of gathering".
History
Construction
The construction of Ekbatan was started in 1975, for the purpose of mass housing. It was designed by
Rahman Golzar, and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
architecture firm ‘
Gruzen Partnership’. Phase 1 of the town was then successfully built and completed by the American company
Starrett, before the
1979 Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
.
At the beginning, Ekbatan was the largest property development by a privately held company in Western Asia. The constructors also owned Ekbatan Bank, which was one of the fastest growing privately held banks in Western Asia. The constructor group was owned in majority by Rahman Golzar and his family, and in minority by Mohammad Ali Bagherzadeh. In 1977, Mohammad Ali Bagherzadeh transferred his shares in the group to his children Ali and Goli.
After the 1979 Revolution
![Tehran's Ekbatan Town in snow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Tehran%27s_Ekbatan_Town_in_snow.jpg)
Following the 1979 Revolution, the new incoming government nationalized the group and all its subsidiaries and affiliates, and placed its ownership with the Ministry of Housing, it was later sold to public and is now privately owned. Ekbatan Bank was nationalized at the same time, subsumed into the new state bank created to be the successor to Iran's privately held banks.
Infrastructure
Phases
Ekbatan has 15,500 units on an area of 2,208,570 square meters. It has three separate sets of buildings called ''phases'' ( fa, fāz), and each phase has independent buildings categorized as a block. The architecture in the first and third phases are similar, and are very different from Phase 2. Each block of Phase 1 (and of Phase 3) has three major steps. When looked at from the sides, there are five floors in first step, nine in second and twelve in the third one. At Phase 2, blocks are designed like huge twelve-story box-shaped parts that are put together in an angle. Another difference between Phase 1 (or Phase 3) and Phase 2 is the interior layout of the apartments. At Phase 1 (and Phase 3), apartments are single-floored. However, at Phase 2, they are built mostly in double floors (
duplex) with
hall
In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
, and the kitchen in the first floor and rooms placed in the upper (second) floor. At all of these phases you could find one-, two-, three- or four-roomed apartments that begin from about 50 m2 to 240 m2.
There are frequent green fields between the buildings in Ekbatan. The landscape is designed in a way to combine nature and modern living together; a concept that, due to environmental concerns, is being explored more in architectural practices.
There are several different level schools in all three phases of Ekbatan. The town also has a variety of shopping places, such as the Mega Mall located at Phase 2, which have developed within the recent years.
Transportation
![Ekbatan Metro Station, Tehran](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Ekbatan_Metro_Station%2C_Tehran.jpg)
The town is served by
Ekbatan
Ekbatan Town ( fa, شهرک اکباتان, ) is a planned town in western Tehran, Iran. It is located approximately five kilometers west of central Tehran.
Etymology
The town is named after Ecbatana, the capital city of the ancient Median Empir ...
(''Shahrak-e Ekbatan'') and
Ekbatan (Eram-e Sabz) stations of the
Tehran Metro system.
The main boulevard in Phase 2 is named after
IRNA reporter
Mahmoud Saremi, a terrorism-victim killed by
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
while working in
Mazar-i-Sharif
, official_name =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia
, pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif
, pushpin ...
.
Culture
On the last Wednesday eve of the Iranian year, before
Nowruz, Ekbatan is the host of one of the biggest
Charshanbe Suri festivals in Tehran.
Ekbatan is also famous for its
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
artworks, and is the place-of-origin of artists such as
A1one
A1one (pronounced ''alone''; fa, تنها, Tanhâ) is the pseudonym of Karan Reshad, an Iranian visual artist who pioneered graffiti and street art in Iran. His career as a street artist began in his hometown Tehran.
Life and career
A1one ...
and Oham.
Ekbatan is known to have a vibrant underground music scene and several independent musicians started their artistic activities in Ekbatan; the rock band 127, and the rapper Rez are some prominent examples.
Sport
![Pas Stadium, Tehran](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Pas_Stadium%2C_Tehran.PNG)
The
Ekbatan Stadium
The Rah Ahan Stadium ( fa, استاديوم راه آهن) is a multi-purpose stadium in Tehran, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and is the home stadium of Rah Ahan F.C., who currently play in Iran's Pr ...
( the ''Rah Ahan Stadium'') is located in Ekbatan Town. Formerly known as the ''Apadana Stadium'', it was owned by
Persepolis F.C.
Persepolis Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال پرسپولیس, Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Perspolis) is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Persepolis was founded in 1 ...
, and is today the home stadium of
Rah Ahan F.C.
Rah Ahan Sports Club ( fa, باشگاه ورزشی راهآهن, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen''), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They currently play in the Azadegan Lea ...
It was one of the hosts of preliminary round of the football matches at the
1974 Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games ( fa, بازیهای آسیایی ۱۹۷۴) were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for th ...
(Group A and Group C).
The
Dastgerdi Stadium (a.k.a. the ''Pas Stadium'') is also located in Ekbatan Town. It is where the former
Pas F.C.
Pas Tehran Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال پاس تهران, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Pas Tehran'') was an Iranian association football, football club based in Tehran, Iran. Pas F.C. was the association football, football club of the ...
was based in, and now hosts the
national under-20 football team of Iran. It was also home to the
2005 Iranian Super Cup
The 2005 Iranian Super Cup was the first Iranian Super Cup, held on 28 August 2005 between the 2004–05 Iran Pro League champions Foolad and the 2004–05 Hazfi Cup winners Saba.
Match
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iranian Super Cup 2005
...
between
Foolad
Foolad Khuzestan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال فولاد خوزستان, ''Bāshgāh-e Futbāl-e Fulād-e Khuzestān'') is an Iranian football club, based in Ahwaz, Khuzestan that plays in Persian Gulf Pro League. Foolad F.C. ...
and
Saba Battery
Saba Battery Club (also Saba Battery Physical and Cultural Gym) is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 2002شود
Teams
* Saba Battery Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro Leagu ...
football clubs.
Ekbatan and Dastgerdi stadiums hosted the
2012 AFC U-16 Championship
The 2012 AFC U-16 Championship was the 15th edition of the tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation. The AFC approved Iran as hosts of the championship on 23 November 2011. .
References
{{Mahallehs of Tehran
Neighbourhoods in Tehran
Planned communities