Tehran – Abolfaali, director of the Soltaniye World Heritage Base, has stated news of the continuation of a new excavation season in the Abuvab al-Bah region with the aim of identifying the architecture of Ilhanid and recreating the historic structure.
He told Isna, based on historical texts, that Orgith, the ruler of the 8th Ilhanid Mongol, had built Spirit US at the same time as the construction of the new capital of the Ilhanid government in Soltanyer. It is known as the Soltanier Dome, he added.
Mimicking Tabriz’s brother, Gazan Khan and with the advice of an Iranian minister, Orjait established a series of public buildings called Abuvab al-Bah next to the dome and fortress.
Referring to historical resources, he added: “The Abvab al-bar consisted of 19 buildings with various functions to serve capital and travelers in the form of charitable foundations with specific management structures and independent budgets. However, detailed information on the location of these buildings and their architectural structures is not mentioned in the historical text.
Saying that Soltangier’s World Heritage Base has begun its exploration on the east and west side of the dome, he said at this stage he is focused on defining the precincts of the dome, the entrances and how the complex is connected to other parts of the historic Soltangier.
According to Ali, with the continuation of the research, taking into account previous findings by Dr. Ganjabi in the 1970s and excavations led by Dr. Mirfata on the east side of the dome in the 1980s and 1990s, another goal of this season is to make the works and results of past excavations easier to recognize and organize.
He added: “This excavation provided significant results on the west side of the dome, identifying some of the spaces adjacent to the dome belonging to the Ilhanid period, as well as works from subsequent periods.”
Built under Orgite’s control between 1302 and 1312, the Soltanier dome is located in Zanjan and is considered a landmark of Persian and Islamic architecture. The octagonal spirit us features a 50-meter-high turquoise Faith Dome. This is the earliest known example of Iran’s double shell dome.
Its elaborate interior decoration has been praised by historians, and renowned scholar Arthur Upham Pope describes it as “predicting the Taj Mahal” with his grand vision and vision.
According to UNESCO, the Spirit of Orgite is an important link and an important monument in the development of Islamic architecture in Central and Western Asia. Here, Ilhanid further developed ideas that had advanced during the classic Seljuk phase (11th to early 13th centuries), in which Iranian art gained distinction in the Islamic world, setting the stage for the Timurid period (late 14th to 15th centuries). Of particular relevance are the double shell structures of the Spirit US dome (inner and outer shells) and the materials and themes used in their interior decoration.
KD