Sultaniyehسلطانیه
Sultaniyeh is the name of a large 14th-century mausoleum and its architectural complex, near the city of Zanjan, Zanjan Province, northwestern Iran.
36°26’00.5″N 48°47’46.9″E
Map
Historical Period
Islamic
History and description
At the center of the site lies the domed mausoleum of Oljaytu. Built between A.D. 1302 and 1312, the monument consists of a huge drum surmounted by a large dome, and an adjacent four- columned hall in the northeast corner. Annexed to the south of the domed hall is an area called torbat-khanhe; below the latter piece is a crypt (sardāb). The drum on an octagonal form is composed of two parts: lower and upper. It has an interior diameter of 26 m and its walls are 7 m thick. A gallery runs around the building below a great stalactite cornice. The upper platform carries the dome and the surrounding crown of eight minarets. The double-shell dome is roughly 7 m thick with a span of 25 m. The total height of the mausoleum exceeds 50 m. The dome is covered with blue tiles. According to contemporary sources, Ilkhān Arghun decided to build a city in the plain of Sultaniyeh because of the presence of vast pasture land. These sources mention that Uljeytū developed the city by building different neighborhoods, a mosque, schools, a hospital, a bazaar, and a caravanserai. Archaeological excavations in the area around the mausoleum of Uljeytū revealed the remains of the old city.
Archaeological Exploration
The monument at Sultaniyeh has been the object of research, studies, and restoration throughout the twentieth century. But the archaeological excavations were conducted by Ali Asghar Mirfattah on behalf of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research in the 1990s.
Bibliography
Godard, A., “The mausoleum of Öljeitü at Sultāniya,” in A Survey of Persian Art, vol. III: Islamic Architecture, A. U. Pope (ed.), Tokyo, 1965, pp. 1103-1119.
Mehryar, M., A. Kabiri, A., and F. Towhidi, “Barresi va peygardi moqadamāti dar borj-o bārūyeh arg-e shahr-e qadim-e Soltaniyeh,” Asar, Nos 12, 13, 14, 1365/1986, pp. 209-264.
Mirfattah, S. A. A., “Soltaniyeh,” in Shahrhāy-e Irān, M. Y. Kiani (ed.), vol. 4, Tehran, 1370/1991.
Sanpaolesi, P., “La Cupola di Santa Maria del Fiore ed il Mausoleo de Soltanieh,” Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, xvi/3, 1972, pp. 221-260.
Sanpaolesi, P., Progetto di Restauro del Mausoleo di Olgeitu a Soltanieh, in collaboration with R. Kasa’i, no date.
