Interments in Iran
The possible tomb of Mordechai & Esther in Hamadan
If Jews were freely able to visit the historic sites they would of course look for traces of the Purim story.
They would discover that Mordechai and Esther are said to be buried in Shushan, which is probably the town of Hamadan, about 250 miles from Teheran.
Others, however, say it is not Esther who is buried there but a different Jewish queen, the (or a) wife of King Yezgard.
The traditional story, however, was reported by the famous Jewish traveller, Benjamin of Tudela, who said that 30,000 Jews lived in Hamadan.
For many years the Persian Jews made an annual pilgrimage to the site and even Muslims found their way here because they believed it was an effective place for prayer.
Other Jewish tombs in Iran are said to include the burial place of the prophet Habakkuk and even of Daniel. Even Serach, the daughter of Asher and granddaughter of Jacob, is said to be buried somewhere in Iran.
