Soltaniyeh World Heritage Site

Official name

Soltaniyeh | UNESCO

Country

Iran | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

Zanjan province
36.4352° Lat, 48.7966° Lon | Map

Code

1188

Time Zone

Asia/Tehran (+0330, +0330)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2005. The mausoleum of Oljaytu was constructed in 1302–12 in the city of Soltaniyeh, the capital of the Ilkhanid dynasty, which was founded by the Mongols. Situated in the province of Zanjan, Soltaniyeh is one of the outstanding examples of the achievements of Persian architecture and a key monument in the development of its Islamic architecture. The octagonal building is crowned with a 50 m tall dome covered in turquoise-blue faience and surrounded by eight slender minarets. It is the earliest existing example of the double-shelled dome in Iran. The mausoleum’s interior decoration is also outstanding and scholars such as A.U. Pope have described the building as ‘anticipating the Taj Mahal’.