Dome of Soltaniyeh

The Dome of Soltaniyeh is the largest brick dome in Iran, which inspired architects to build the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Taj Mahal.

The Dome of Soltaniyeh is known as the third most famous dome in the world, in terms of height after the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Hagia Sophia mosque. This dome is a spectacular attraction of Zanjan province that has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Dome of Soltaniyeh with the weight of 1600 tons, has been standing for 700 years with subsidence of eight centimeters.

• History

This dome has been built under the command of Öljaitü, the king of the Mongols. During the construction process of the Dome of Soltaniyeh Öljaitü became a Muslim. He decided to move the grave of Imam Ali from Najaf to Soltaniyeh after visiting the shrine in Najaf. He faced the opposition of Shia scholars and made there as the tomb of himself. Finally, he used the soil of Najaf to construct the Dome of Soltaniyeh.

• Architecture

  This dome has been built like the Seljuq architectural style in three stories. The shape of the plan is quadrilateral at the first level, but at the second and third levels became octagonal. Also, this dome has eight minarets. The Dome of Soltaniyeh has been made of brick with the cover of turquoise mosaic tiles. Different parts of this monument are as follows:
   
  • Torbat Khaneh
    This part is placed on the southern side with a length of 17 meters, a width of 8 meters, and a height of 16 meters. Torbat means an amount of soil which belongs to a holy shrine. Öljaitü has also used the soil of Najaf to the construction of this part. This part is known as Torbat Khaneh because the wall of Mihrab written in Kufic and Thuluth script using the soil of Husayn ibn Ali shrine.
     
  • Sardabe
    This part is placed on the southern side, under the Torbat Khaneh. Sardabe is the place where Öljaitü was buried. The entrance of this part has a low height to respect the dead person.
     
  • Gonbad Khaneh
    This part is the place of the dome which contains a two-shelled dome with a height of 50 meters. This two-shelled dome makes it resistant to the earthquake. This dome has some lightwells which were as the clock during that era.

• Why eight minarets?

The Dome of Soltaniyeh has eight minarets, Iwan, and doors. This eight minarets protect the dome in dangerous situation such as earthquake.

• Visiting information

  It is better to know some information about visiting time
  • During spring and summer you can visit the Dome of Soltaniyeh from 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM.
  • During Autumn and Winter you can visit the Dome of Soltaniyeh from 8:00 AM until 6:30 PM.

• What is the best time to go?

Due to the mountainous climate of Zanjan province, it is cold in Winter and pleasant in the Summer. Late March until late September is the best time to visit the Dome of Soltaniyeh.

• Getting there?

The Dome of Soltaniyeh is located 36 kilometer east of Zanjan on the Gonbad Street.