Takht-e Soleyman

The remarkable Sassanid and Ilkhanid archeological site sits on a sacred mountaintop, and is surrounded by a mountain chain with a height of more than 3000 meters. Reputed as the birthplace of Zoroaster, Takht-e Soleyman (the Throne of Solomon) is located in Western-Azerbaijan Province, in the vicinity of Takab city. This UNESCO Heritage Site is one of the most well-known centers of history and civilization in Iran. In addition, it was the biggest religious, educational, and social center in the Sassanid era. This archeological ensemble represents five historical eras of the ancient Persia, especially the Sassanid architecture. However, it also suffered from various attacks during the history, especially by the Byzantine Emperor, Heraclius, in 628. As a consequence of this war, Takht-e Taqdis, the first monument in this area built by Khosrow II in 618, was completely destroyed. Historically, Takht-e Soleyman was called Shiz up to the early Islamic era. Later, in the Ilkhanid era, it was named Soqurluq and, finally, it became known as Takht-e Soleyman after the Timurid conquest of Persia (15th century).

The early settlements in this area date back to the first millennium BC. The Medians began constructing mudbrick buildings and this tradition was taken up by their successive dynasty, the Achaemenids who used pottery, stone and bronze-ware too. The tradition of constructing buildings by mudbrick also continued in the Sassanid era. The architectural transformation from mudbrick structures to structures made of stone and baked bricks started approximately in 528 C.E in this site. The Zoroastrian sanctuary was the first mud-brick edifice of this ensemble which, at the order of Khosrow I, was turned into a stone structure.

After the Mongol invasion, Abaqa, the second king of the Ilkhanids ordered a palace to be built on the old sanctuary for the royals, especially the women of his court. Generally, Ilkhan rulers constructed and renovated several edifices in this site, of which few have survived to the present times. With the fall of Mongols, this site was destroyed and blocks of stones and columns used in its construction were reused to build a mosque, a mausoleum, a bathhouse and living houses. However, they were destroyed later and the remaining decorative tiles were transferred to the Reza Abbasi Museum in Tehran.

Takht-e Soleyman has been visited and described by many western travelers and scholars, like Henry Rawlinson and Houtum Schindler, since the 19th century. However, it underwent its first archeological investigation by Arthur Pope in 1937.

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