  We employ IRTF SpeX NIR (0.8--2.4mu m) spectra to investigate the stellar
population (SP), active galactic nuclei (AGN), featureless continuum (FC) and
hot dust properties in 9 Sy1 and 15 Sy2 galaxies. Both the {\sc starlight} code
and the hot dust as an additional base element were used for the first time in
this spectral range. Our synthesis shows significant differences between Sy1
and Sy2 galaxies: the hot dust component is required to fit the K-band spectra
of ~90% of the Sy1 galaxies, and only of ~25% of the Sy2; about 50% of the Sy2
galaxies require an FC component contribution >20%; this fraction increases to
about 60% in the Sy1. In about 50% of the Sy2, the combined FC and young
components contribute with more than 20%, while this occurs in 90% of the Sy1,
suggesting recent star formation in the central region. The central few hundred
parsecs of our galaxy sample contain a substantial fraction of intermediate-age
SPs with a mean metallicity near solar. Our SP synthesis confirms that the
1.1microns CN band can be used as a tracer of intermediate-age stellar
populations.
