When Genghis Khan and his descendants rode across Eurasia, they were invincible, and eventually established the huge Mongol Empire. In addition to the central Yuan Dynasty, the four khanates of the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate, the Wokotai Khanate, and the Ilkhanate also ruled an extremely vast territory.
Among them, the Ilkhanate ruled most of Western Asia, including the Iranian plateau. The eighth Great Khan moved the capital from Tabriz to Sultaniyah and built it into a large city with a population of more than one million. More than 700 years later, all that remains today is a large solitary tomb (Soltaniyeh Dome) and legends of foreign rulers.
He was born into Nestorian families, but later he became a shaman, a Buddhist, a Shia Islamist, and finally a Sunni convert.
During his Shia conversion, he ordered a huge mausoleum to be built in the center of the city of Sultaniyah, intending to serve as the burial place of two of the most important Shiite saints, Hussein and Ali. However, he later converted to Sunni, and his original plan to make Sultan Niyeh a "Shiite Mecca" was aborted. Eventually, it became his own grave.
This massive domed building, built between 1302-1312 and considered "the world's oldest double-domed dome" and "forerunner of the Taj Mahal", was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2005. The octagonal building is topped by a 50-meter-high dome covered with Turkish blue terracotta and surrounded by eight slender minarets. The double-layered dome weighs an estimated 200 tons, and much of the exterior decoration is missing today, but its interior is still well preserved with mosaics, faience and frescoes.
Ascend the narrow spiral staircase to the third floor, offering sweeping views of the vast sky and the surrounding cityscape. There are different patterns and shapes on the walls and roofs, and it is hard to imagine that this was built by the Mongols who immediately conquered the world.
However, it was the first large monumental structure to emerge from the ruins left by the Mongol conquests, and is therefore bound to be listed as one of the highest achievements of the Middle Ages. #Travel on the Road# #Humanities Photography Circle# #Iran# @我和头条的故事 @头条号 @头条旅游
