Takht-e Soleymān

Common card · No. 444342

Takht-e Soleymān (Persian: تخت سلیمان, lit. 'Throne of Solomon') is an archaeological site in West Azerbaijan, Iran dating back to the Sasanian Empire. It lies midway between Urmia and Hamadan, very near the present-day town of Takab, and 400 km (250 mi) west of Tehran. The fortified site, which is located on a hill created by the outflow of a calcium-rich spring pond, was recognized as a World Heritage Site in July 2003. The citadel includes the remains of Adur Gushnasp, a Zoroastrian fire temple built during the Sasanian era and partially rebuilt (as a mosque) under the Ilkhanate. This temple housed one of the three "Great Fires" or "Royal Fires" that Sassanid rulers humbled themselves before in order to ascend the throne. The fire at Takht-i Soleiman was called Adur Gushnasp and was dedicated to the arteshtar or the warrior class of the Sassanid. The foundations of the fire temple around the pond is attributed to that legend. Takht-e Soleyman appears on the 4th century Peutinger Map...

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