The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-12-31

kiss the huge carven face and pill
griins place offerings Of stone before
II. According to one. tradition. the
lion was set up to brighten away the
severe winters OF Hamadan.
An Old Name.
The name Of the city can be
traced back to earliest times, and it
means literally "a place OF meeting OF
many ways In the days Of the city's
splendor. the most prominent high
ways Of the civilized world crossed
here. II Is still a meeting place of
many highways from many parts Of
the Persian kingdom. and the chief
station on the road from Persia to
Bagdad and the Persian Gulf. 1t has
thus been able to maintain a scrap OF
Its old prestige as a place OF wealth,
and as a city important in Persian
commerce and industry.
The leather made in Hamadan Is
In demand throughout the East, and
great quantities of It is: exported,
unworked and in the form. OF sad dies,
harness, trunks and other leather
articles. Felt goods and copper .uten-
sils are made, and Furnishing tran
sit trade brings Its tolls to. the city's
10000 people. There are extensive
and well stocked bazaars, and more
than forty caravanserais. Among the
few concessions that the hoary treas
ure city Of the king of the kings OF
kings has grudgtngly made to the
nervous. restless civilization Of the
West are post and telegraph Of
fee.
"Hamadan is situated at the north
eastern foot OF Mount Alvand, whose
granite walls rise to a height Of H.
800 feet. The city Itself has an ele-
yation of $3.50 feet, and level
plain, fifteen miles in length and ten
miles in breadth. spreads before IT
like garden. Barley. wheat, yege-
tables and the scarlet poppy plant are
grown in profusion here. The noun
tains frame the plain, like part
enclosed appanage OF the city.
Once Home Of Kings.
Crooked alleys, dirty walks and
street-ways, squalid houses, and din
gy-brown neglect effectually suppress
memories Of the city's former great
ness. when It was the home OF kings,
the seat of fabulous riches; fore
most display-city of the world, whose
buildings were fretted with gold ana
silver; and the home Of such riotous
luxury rs the world has never seen
again. and as modern civilization has
forgotten how to provide. All luxury
has departed from Hamadan; but,
then. the city is supposed to have
passed Its 3000th anniversary, an age
at which the giddy pleasures OF youth
are no longer tempting.
"Ramman-nlrari, whose greatest
claim to fame Is that he was the hus-
band or Queen Semiramis, began the
long centuries Of royal patronage that
built up Hamadan, land his renowned
queen, Seminamis. launched the place
upon the brilliant career. Hamadan
steadily grew in wealth and favor.
added every new splendor to its pub
lie works, state buildings and pri-
vate palaces. erected columns ana ar
cades overlaid with plates OF gold and
silver, constructed costly ROYAL
home of cedar and cypress woods,
ana planted famous gardens. Most
OF the wealth was FOOTED by Alexan-
der the great, whose men carried
away a treasure vast even for the
present age OF wealth. Following AL
exander. Ambiguous. Seleucus, Nicator
and .Antiochus the Great plundered
here, and according to Polybius, the
Greek historian, there remained in
Hamadan a wealth equal to 1000
talents ts4,7s0,000) to the last plum
derer."