Dome of Soltaniyeh

The Dome of Soltaniyeh is the mausoleum of the Mongol ruler Öljaitü, built c. 1307–1313 at his new capital of Soltaniyeh, about 40 km south-east of Zanjan. Its double-shelled brick dome, some 25 metres across and about 50 metres high, is one of the largest brick domes ever built, and the building has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.

A capital that disappeared around its tomb

Soltaniyeh, “the imperial”, was founded on a high summer pasture that the Mongol rulers already used for their camps. Öljaitü made it his capital, and for a few decades it was one of the largest cities in western Asia, with palaces, markets and the houses of officials and merchants. After the Ilkhanate broke up in the 1330s the city declined, and today only the mausoleum, a few later tombs and the outline of the citadel walls are left on the plain beside a small modern town. The reign and the politics behind the building are covered on our page on Öljaitü and the Dome of Soltaniyeh.

The ruler who built it went through several religious phases, from Christian baptism as a child to Sunni Islam and finally Twelver Shi’ism. A well-known story says he meant the tomb to receive the remains of Ali and Husayn from Iraq, then changed his mind and chose it for himself. Historians treat this as possible but not proven. Öljaitü was buried here after his death in 1316.

What to look at

The dome and the octagon

The building is an octagon of fired brick. From a distance the eye goes first to the egg-shaped dome, faced with turquoise glazed tiles, and to the stumps of the eight minarets that once rose from the corners of the roof. Walk around the outside to see the scale: each side of the octagon is a deep arched bay, and the walls are thick enough to carry the dome without buttresses. The dome has two shells, an inner and an outer, tied together by brick ribs. This double structure saved weight and allowed the great height, and art historians often see it as a forerunner of later Timurid and Safavid domes in Samarkand and Isfahan.

The upper gallery

If it is open, climb the stairs inside the walls to the gallery that runs around the outside of the building below the dome. Its vaults are covered with patterns in cut and carved brick, painted plaster and tile, in dozens of different geometric designs. This is where you can get closest to the decoration and see how the builders combined plain brick with colour. The gallery also gives the best views over the plain and the remains of the old city.

Two layers of decoration

Inside, the main hall rises the full height of the dome. Look closely and you will see two decorative schemes. The first used patterned brick and glazed tile. Within a few years, still in Öljaitü’s reign, much of it was covered with a coat of plaster painted with geometric and inscription panels. Restorers have uncovered parts of both layers, so in some bays you can see the older tile work showing through the later paint. The meaning of the change is debated; some scholars connect it with the ruler’s religious change, others with simple changes in taste.

Scaffolding

Restoration has gone on for decades, and much of the interior has been filled with scaffolding for long periods. Visitors are sometimes disappointed by this, but the scaffolding is part of the building’s recent history, and it often still allows a good view of the dome from below.

Nearby

A short distance from the mausoleum are two smaller monuments of the town’s later life: the tomb of Mullah Hasan Kashi, a 16th-century octagonal tomb with tilework, and the Chalabi Oghlu complex, a 14th-century dervish tomb and lodge. Most visitors come on a half-day trip from Zanjan, or stop on the way between Qazvin and Tabriz.

Practical notes

• Soltaniyeh lies just off the old Tehran–Tabriz road. Taxis and tours run from Zanjan; the drive takes well under an hour.
• The plain is high and windy. Bring a jacket outside summer.
• Opening hours, access to the gallery and tickets vary, so check current official information before you go.