Dome of Soltaniyeh

The central magnet of Soltaniyeh's several

ruins is the Mausoleum of Il-khan Öljeitü
also known as Muhammad Khodabandeh,
traditionally known as the Dome of
Soltaniyeh in Soltaniyeh city, Zanjan
Province. The structure, erected from 1302
to 1312 AD, has the oldest double-shell
dome in Iran.[1] This view of the
construction was made by Dieulafoy but is
disputed by André Godard.[2] In Godard's
view it is a normal, if spectacularly large
dome, with a thin skin on top for the
faience and is in no way a double dome.
Its importance in the Muslim world may be
compared to that of Brunelleschi's cupola
for Christian architecture. It is one of the
largest brick domes in the world, just at
the theoretical engineering limit for a brick
dome and the third largest dome in the
world after the domes of Florence
Cathedral and Hagia Sophia.[1] The Dome
of Soltaniyeh paved the way for more
daring Iranian-style cupola constructions
in the Muslim world, such as the
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi and
the Taj Mahal. Much of its exterior
decoration has been lost, but the interior
retains superb mosaics, faience, and
murals. People have described the
architecture of the building as “anticipating
the Taj Mahal.”
 Soltaniyeh Dome

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Location Soltaniyeh, Zanjan

Province, Iran

Part of Soltaniyeh

Criteria Cultural: (ii), (iii), (iv)

Reference 1188-001

Inscription 2005 (29th Session)

Area 14.8 ha (37 acres)

Coordinates 36°26′2.3″N
48°47′45.7″E
 Location of Dome
of Soltaniyeh in
Iran

The estimated 200 ton dome stands 49

meters (161 ft) tall from its base, and is
currently undergoing extensive renovation.

History and Patronage

The Mongol invasion of the Islamic world
began with the conquest of eastern Iran in
1221, and ultimately ended the Abbasid
rule (750-1258). They established rule over
the majority of West Asia, and this branch
of the Mongol dynasty known as the
Ilkhanids (1256-1353) “centered its power
in northwest Iran.”[3] While this conquest
initially came as devastation, the Ilkhanid
period saw major developments in the
decorative arts. The Ilkhanids proved to be
successful builders by the architectural
masterpiece that is the Dome of
Soltaniyeh, also known as the Tomb of
Oljeitu.

The Mongol presence in Iran led to its shift

from a traditional city to one with an
emphasis on its pasture.[4] An example of
this new type of Mongol city was the city
of Sultaniyya in northwestern Iran. Arghun,
the Ilkhanid ruler of Iran at the time,
established the Iranian city of Sultaniyya
as a summer capital. His son, Muhammad
Oljeitu Khudabanda, furthered the city’s
development and transformed it into the
capital of the empire. After Oljeitu’s death,
the city was on a steady decline, and the
once flourishing city only maintains two
buildings as testament to its former
wealth and success; an octagonal tomb
with an adjacent khanaqah. A khanaqah is
a building designed specifically for Sufi
gatherings as a spiritual retreat. The
strong quality of the preserved tomb
attests to the richness of its patronage.[5]
The large and domed tomb chamber of
Oljeitu was meant to rival the colossal
tomb built by the Seljuq sultan Sanjar at
Merv. The tomb of Oljeitu has an
octagonal plan, like the Tomb of Ahmed
Sanjar (1157), and there is a possibility
that the idea of the octagonal plan came
from the Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem,
and thus was used “as a symbolical
representation of the building having a
religious significance.”[6] The tomb
complexes were sponsored by the Ilkhanid
court and were the “largest and finest of
their time.”[7]

Architecture and Interior

Design
The Tomb of Oljeitu was one of the largest
religious endowments of the 14th
century.[8] The complex was utilized for
multiple functions such as Quran reading,
praying, teaching, housing, and medical
purposes. It was approximately 125 feet
across and the complex was crowned by a
dome averaging a diameter of 80 feet. The
tomb was very easily detectable due to its
unique incorporation of eight minarets
enclosing the dome above the gallery.
More specifically, Oljeitu’s complex
consisted of four iwans connected by
arcades with muqarnas surrounding the
perimeter of the courtyard; this was
considered the classic Iranian style. The
tomb itself sat behind the southern iwan.
Furthermore, the iwans were all plastered
and painted, and the courtyard was paved
with white marble.

As for the interior of the tomb, it was

decorated in tile and plaster. The insides
of the iwans’ walls possessed white
inscriptions that stood out against the blue
background. The underside of the iwans
were stuccoed with bands of ornament
that were later painted. A significant
inscription--spotted with ogival forms
sculpted over cloth--circled the entire
dome. The galleries had low, wooden or
marble railings. The windows were fitted
with a bronze screen, along with bronze
knobs and balls set with gold and silver.[9]
The elements from these window grilles
were sometimes inscribed with their
patron’s name or with detailed scenes, like
of a horseman or of falconry.

Following Islamic convention, Oljeitu’s

tomb was placed in a garden, known as a
“rawda” in the Quran. This word was also
added to the railing of Prophet
Muhammad’s tomb in Medina.[10] Because
of this, “rawda” became the label for
funerary structures in Iran. Thus, Oljeitu’s
tomb was referred to as a rawda.
Additionally, Oljeitu ensured that water
could be successfully stored and utilized
in the complex through the use of qanats
and wells. A qanat is a downward sloping
channel intended to transport water. Due
to this, all forms of nature surrounding the
tomb were able to survive for a long time;
specifically, “the gardens around the tomb
complex were still being maintained in the
seventeenth century.”[11]

According to a later drawing of the tomb

by Flandin and Coste, one can see
possible evidence of a cap wall projecting
from the northeast corner.[12] The
presence of a cap wall guarantees that
there were arcades attached to the tomb.
Additionally, once the site was excavated,
potential proof of a limestone court
encompassing the east, north, and west of
the tomb was found. Lastly, another
illustration done by Matraqi reveals that
the face of the complex was split into two
stories and was “flanked by minarets and
surmounted by five domes.”[13]  

Influence on other
Monuments
Because Oljeitu’s tomb was one of the
most significant works of its time, it
became an inspiration for many other
complexes, both within and outside of
Ilkhanid culture. Distinct features of the
complex were later found on many other
monuments, such as placing paired
minarets above a portal. This trend began
in the Seljuq period, then became a normal
inclusion in Ilkhanid buildings.[14]

The Tomb of Oljeitu, like other Ilkhanid

tombs, was integrated into a great
complex--which no longer remains. These
complexes were the “precursors of the
type of large, planned funerary
complex(es), known as kulliye, that (were)
built by the Ottomans at Bursa and
elsewhere beginning in the second half of
the fourteenth century.”[15]

Another trend derived from Oljeitu’s tomb

is the style of five domes placed above the
portal. The Blue Mosque built by Saliha
Khanum in Tabriz was inspired by this
design; its portal and projecting sanctuary
were very similar to Oljeitu’s complex. This
famous tomb of Oljeitu remained an
inspiration for several imperial Mongolian
tombs, even the Taj Mahal.[16]

Photo gallery
 Village of Soltaniyeh and dome in 1969

The Soltaniyeh Dome's structure and its 6

minarets are being restored by Iran's
ICHTO
 Major reconstruction inside

16th century map of Soltaniyeh city

16th century map of Soltaniyeh city

interior view
 Soltanieh Dom fall 2014

See also
History of Persian domes

References
1. [1]
2. A Survey of Persian Art Vol III page
1115
3. Yalman, Suzan. “The Art of the
Ilkhanid Period (1256-1353).” In
Heilbrunn TImeline of Art History. New
York: The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, October 2001.
4. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 139
5. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 142
6. Hasan, Shaikh Khurshid. “Pakistan: Its
Seraiki Style of Tomb Architecture”.
East and West, Vol. 51, pp. 11
7. Komaroff, Linda & Carboni, Stefano.
The legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly
Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-
1353. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
2001. pp. 123
8. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 144
 9. Eleanor G. Sims. “The Iconography’ of
the Internal Decoration in the
Mausoleum of Uljaytu at Sultaniyya.”
In Content and Context of Visual Arts
in the Islamic World, edited by Priscilla
P. Soucek, pp. 139-75. Monographs on
the Fine Arts, 44. University Park, Pa.,
and London: Pennsylvania State
University Press, 1988.
10. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 145
11. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 145
12. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 141
13. Blair, Sheila S., The Mongol Capital of
Sultaniyya, “The Imperial”. Iran, Vol. 24
(1986). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. pp. 144
14. D. Wilber, The Architecture of Islamic
Iran: the Ilkhanid Period (Princeton,
1955), no. 27
15. Komaroff, Linda & Carboni, Stefano.
The legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly
Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-
1353. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
2001.
 16. Komaroff, Linda & Carboni, Stefano.
The legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly
Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-
1353. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
2001.

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