Qatari rally driver Attiyah crowned champion of Shiraz International Rally

Qatari rally driver Nasser Salih Nasser Abdullah al-Attiyah has showed his class and gumption in Iran International Rally, and swept each stage of the tournament in style to claim the international event’s title.

The 46-year-old and French co-driver Matthiew Baumel stormed into the lead in all phases of the cantor, and well managed to cover a distance of 720 kilometers (447.38 miles) from the ruins of Persepolis, situated 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) northeast of the city of the south-central Iranian city of Shiraz, to Kharameh city.

Czech drivers Vojtech Stajf and Marketa Skacelova from Spirit 21 Team took the second position.

Iranian rally drivers Hormoz Kalhor and Kamran Hatamkhani (SAIPA Team) grabbed the last place on the podium.

Iran International Rally kicked off on September 13, and finished on September 15, 2017.

The tournament attracted rally drivers from the Czech Republic, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Oman and Qatar.

The Shiraz Rally

The Shiraz Rally (also known as Shiraz International Rally) is an international rally racing event held at Persepolis, near Shiraz, the capital of the Fars Province in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The rally is a gravel and sand event run by the Motorcycle and Automobile Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MAFIRI). The event was first held as a candidate event in 2014 before becoming a round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) in 2015.The rally is the first international motorsport event to be held in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

The first event, held in September 2017, attracted approximately 30 entries, mostly locally based Peugeots and Kias. It was won by Lebanese driver Roger Feghali with the only other international team, Qatari driver Khalifa Al-Attiyah second. Both teams ran Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Twelve other teams finished, all bar two of them Peugeots. The rally had been cut short after an accident resulted in the death of Iranian co-driver Arash Ramin Yekta.

The first MERC rally, held less than eight months later, was won by defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah ahead of countryman Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Emirati driver Khalid Al Qassimi.

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About Hamedan
Hamadan is one of the oldest continually inhabited towns, centers of civilization, and numerous capitals of different dynasties that have ruled Iran through the ages. Capital of the province of Hamadan, at the foot of Mount Alvand, and located at an altitude of 1,829 m above sea level, it is 400 km to the southwest of Tehran by road via Qazvin, and can be reached by air as well. It is a trade center for a fertile farm region where fruit and grain are grown.

In the modern Hamadan that is built on the plans prepared by the German architect Karl Fritsch, nothing is left to be seen of ancient Ecbatana of the Medes’ capital before they formed a union with the Persians. It was the residence of Achaemenian Kings, and the summer resort of the Parthian and Sassanian dynasties due to its strategic vicinity to Ctesiphon. In the 7th century AD Hamadan was passed to the Arabs, and it was later held by the Seljuk Turks (12th-13th centuries) and the Mongols (13th-14th centuries).Hamadan’s climate is mild and delightful in summers, and cold in winters. Early spring and late autumn are the rainy seasons for the region. To this day Hamadan is a very popular retreat with Iranians during the warmer months when the climate in autumn and spring is one of the most pleasant in the country, but winters are long and sever.

Hagmataneh
Before going into a description of the historical monuments of Hamadan, and regarding the town’s rather prolonged history, the reader is reminded of two hills on which some of the most ancient remains can be seen even today, however not that much interesting: I) Hagmatana Hill, with ruins of the walls and ramparts of the Median and Achaemenian periods. Located in Ekbatan Street (north of Ekbatan Square), which is presently under archaeological excavations (see below); and 2) Mosalla Hill (now a park), situated in the east of Ayatollah Mofatteh Avenue, which is said to be the ancient site of Anahita Temple. According to some archaeologists, the site had been a Parthian stronghold, the remains of which could be seen until a few years ago, with parts of its ramparts visible even today.
The ruins of ancient Hagmatana, on the site of which the present Hamadan stands, date from the period of Median monarchs (7th and early 6th centuries BC) who had made that city their capital. Hagmatana was further developed under the Achaemenian and Parthian rulers and was known as the first capital of the ancient Persian Empire. Scientific excavations and accidental diggings for construction works have resulted in the discovery of numerous objects, including some gold and silver tablets, in the region. This indicates that the treasury of the Achaemenian monarchs was kept in Hagmatana and that the present Hamadan has been constructed upon apart of the site of the ancient city. In the old Sar Qal’eh, Qal’eh Shah, and Darab quarters, one could see the remains of a thick wall that once enclosed the Achaemenian Darius’ palace (521-486 BC). Some traces of the Haft Hissar Palace and the historic ancient rampart, sparsely found in the old citadel of Hagmatana bear witness to the grandeur of this capital of the Median and the Achaemenian periods. However, an adequate appreciation of this grandeur will only be possible when systematic scientific excavations are carried out in this area. So far, the discovery of the heads of a stone statue in the hillock Mosalla has proved the existence of an Ashkanian (Arsacid) fort on that hill. At all events, Hagmatana has been one of the important centers of the Sassanian period and has retained the same position in the Islamic era. There exists ample evidence in the history of Islamic period concerning its prosperity.

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