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Solomon's throne Located in a mountainous area of northwestern Iran and 42 kilometers north of the village of Takab, Takht-e Soleyman (the 'Throne of Solomon') is one of the most interesting and enigmatic sacred sites in Iran. Its setting and landforms must certainly have inspired the mythic imagination of the archaic mind. See Farhad Rafii's photos Situated in a small valley, at the center of a flat stone hill rising twenty meters
above the surrounding lands, is a small lake of mysterious beauty. Brilliantly clear
but dark as night due to its depth, the lake's waters are fed by a hidden spring
far below the surface. Places like this were known in legendary times as portals
to the underworld, as abodes of the earth spirits. In the early Sassanian period of the 3rd century AD, the entire plateau was fortified with a massive wall and 38 towers. In later Sassanian times, particularly during the reigns of Khosrow-Anushirvan (531-579 AD) and Khosrow II (590-628), extensive temple facilities were erected on the northern side of the lake to accommodate the large numbers of pilgrims coming to the shrine from beyond the borders of Persia. Following the defeat of Khosrow II's army by the Romans in 624 AD, the temple was destroyed and its importance as a pilgrimage destination rapidly declined. During the Mongol period (1220-1380), a series of small buildings were erected, mostly on the southern and western sides of the lake, and these seem to have been used for administrative and political rather than religious functions. The site was abandoned in the 17th century, for unknown reasons, and has been partially excavated by German and Iranian archaeologists in the past 100 years. -- sacredsites.com >>> NEXT (20 total)
>>> NEXT (20 total)
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