Takht-e Solyeman

Takht-e Soleyman, the Throne of Solomon, crowns a volcanic height among the mountains of Azerbaijan. Within its fortified walls lies a deep lake and the remains of one of Sasanian Persia's most revered Zoroastrian sanctuaries. The sacred fire Adur Gushnasp was associated with kings and warriors, and a palace stood beside the temples. A separate sanctuary was dedicated to Anahita, divinity of the waters.

In the thirteenth century the Ilkhan Abaqa built a summer palace on the ancient foundations, and his son Arghun completed it. Around the lake stood a great courtyard and iwans; a domed chamber on the site of the old fire temple probably served as an audience hall. Glazed tiles, stucco and painting adorned the palace. Its later ruin left layers of royal and sacred history gathered within the same walls.