The Ganjnameh [or Jangnameh]
Abbas-Abad Valley
5 Kms. West of Hamadan
On the gigantic rocks of Alvand mountain, the two Achaemenid kings namely Darius the first and Xerxes (522 - 484 B.C.) have described their conquests in an inscription carved in the stone asking for help from Ahuramazda. The later generations who could not read the cuneiform alphabets of the ancient Persian, Elamite and Babilian scripts thought it was the guide to an uncovered treasury. Ganj Nameh is located five kilometers from southwestern Hamadan (the ancient Ecbatana) which served as the capital of he Medes and Achaemenids, in a region called Abbas Abad. There are two plate inscriptions, one on the right side embracing the name of Xerxes and the one on the left embracing the name of Darius the Great. The translation of the text of the right side plate attributed to Xerxes is as follows :"The mighty lord is Ahuramazda, the god of gods, who created this land, the sky and the people, the same god who brought people happiness, who appointed Xerxes as king, the unique king of kings, the unique ruler of the rulers, I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of multinational countries, king of this large land, the son of Darius the Achaemenid." This translation corresponds with part of the inscription attributed to Xerxes at the main entrance of Persepolis and the other plate inscription of Ganj Nameh attributed to Darius the first, the father of Xerxes, had the same sentences with the difference that instead of Xerxes it has the name of Darius. These two plates too, similar to the majority of inscriptions by the Achaemenid kings include greetings to Ahuramazda and the fathers and forefathers of these kings.
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