Hamadan, Hamadan Province
Iran

Description of the Site

In northwest Iran, in the center of the city Hamedan stands the burial shrine of the biblical figures Esther and Mordechai. They are especially celebrated during the holiday of Purim for saving the Jews of the Persian Empire from genocide, during the time of the Achaemenid emperor Xerxes I. For centuries, Persian Jews have marked the holiday of Purim by traveling to the shrine in Hamadan. It is the most important site for the Jews of Iran. Historically, they were often joined by Muslims and Christians seeking miracle cures and divine intervention. The shrine houses intricate wooden sarcophagi and dedicated sections for lighting candles in reverence of Esther and Mordechai.

Site History

According to Diarna.org, the original shrine’s date of construction is unknown. It was allegedly destroyed by Mongol invaders in the 14th century and the first detailed accounts and illustrations were recorded by 19th century Christian travelers, “who observed how Jewish pilgrims would place prayer notes near the tombs similar to the custom associated with Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall.” In the biblical book named after her, Esther is described as a galvanizing young Jewish woman who caught the eye of the Persian King Ahasuerus, became queen, and, with the assistance of her relative Mordechai, rescued Jews throughout the Persian Empire from annihilation at the hands of the evil royal advisor Haman. Jews around the world celebrate this miraculous salvation during Purim by reading the Megillat Esther, dressing in costumes, and preparing traditional delicacies. Iranian Jews similarly mark the holiday, and for centuries have also made a pilgrimage to the shrine. (Source: Diarna.org)

Some reckon that the construction of the site most likely post-dated by a few centuries the events depicted in the Book of Esther and that a different Persian-Jewish queen—Shushan Dokht, wife to the 4th-century Sassanid emperor Yazdegerd I—may actually be buried there. Yet “while the shrine’s origins remain shrouded in mystery, its centrality to Persian-Jewish life is well-documented.” (Sohrab Ahmari) Further, the city of Hamadan in which the shrine is located, is the ancient Hagmatana/Ecbatana, the capital of the Median Empire which also served as one of the three simultaneous capitals of the succeeding Achaemenid Empire. This is the dynasty to which the Bible assigns the story of Esther and Mordechai, the event that serves as the basis of the Jewish feast of Purim today. (Source: Wikipedia)

Until 1972, when Elias “Yassi” Gabbay, then a rising Jewish-Iranian architect, was commissioned to restore it, the shrine was in a state of decay. “That year, the shah’s regime launched an extravagant celebration of 2,500 years of Persian monarchy, and every minority group in the country was required to participate. The Jews, the country’s oldest minority community, settled that restoring the Hamadan shrine was the best way to capture their contribution to Persian history. Gabbay did more than just restore the original shrine. He added a subterranean synagogue while retaining much of the original shrine structure and surrounding cemetery, where Hamadan’s most prominent Jewish families buried their dead. The only above-ground portion of the new synagogue’s structure was the roof, which includes a massive skylight in the shape of a Star of David that can be spotted in Google Earth images of Hamadan.” (Sohrab Ahmari)

Today, there is still a Jewish community in Iran, but being a minority not all members feel safe. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, an estimated 60,000 Persian Jews were forced to leave Iran. Most of them left for Israel and the United States.

The Threat

The shrine has faced several threats over time.  It has fallen into disrepair at the hands of the local government. Additionally, the authorities in Hamadan have removed the fence designed by Persian-jewish architect Gabbay in the 1970s as it incorporated the Star of David motif in its design. Interestingly, the motif was inspired in part by ancient Islamic design patterns where six-pointed stars are quite common. In 2017, the star of David on that decorates the entryway’s transom was partially destroyed.

In 2011, anti-Jewish mobs rallied at the shrine, calling for its demolition. While the site is protected under Iranian law, officials in 2011 reportedly downgraded its status, weeks after a protest was held at the site in response to unfounded claims that Israel was threatening to tear down the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. (Source: Times of Israel)

The Jerusalem Post reported in February that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom condemned the Iranian regime for its reported threats to raze the tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan.

In May 2020, someone reportedly tried to set parts of the shrine afire. “The attack came on May 15, the day after the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and marked as Nakba Day, or the day of catastrophe, raising widespread suspicion that it was a hate crime against Jews and the Jewish state. The head of Hamedan province’s cultural heritage and tourism office, Ali Malmir, said only minor damage was caused to the holy site by the fire, Iranian state-affiliated news sites Fars and ISNA reported Saturday. Some of the wires and a carpet in a side building were burned but the shrine itself appeared not to have been touched by the fire, he said, adding that there were no injuries. Malmir said an investigation into the incident was ongoing. He said restoration work to fix the damage would begin this week. Raz Zimmt, a veteran Iran analyst at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said that recent photos of the facility’s outer door show two pieces of graffiti, one showing slain Iranian top commander Qassem Soleimani with the writing “Severe revenge” and the other showing Hezbollah terror group chief Hassan Nasrallah with the writing “The fulfilled promise.” It was unclear whether they were sprayed by the arsonist or had been there before, Zimmt said.” (Source: Times of Israel)

The Hamadan shrine is not the only site at risk of destruction. In April 2008, for example, seven ancient synagogues in Tehran’s historically Jewish Oudlajan district were razed to make way for high-rise developments. (Source: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/renderings)

Efforts to Save Queen Esther’s Tomb

Diarna.org collected photos, and video material, conducted interviews and more all in an effort to virtually preserve this holy site. The site is an official Iranian heritage site and the city has an active Jewish community.

Additional Info

There is quite possibly only one Star of David on Earth visible from space. There are its coordinates: 34.797924 N, 48.512927 E. Location: Hamadan, Iran. (Source: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/renderings)

Who Should Be Held Accountable

City Officials