Throne of Solomon, fire&water&earth&wind as gifts of God

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Throne of Solomon, fire&water&earth&wind as gifts of God



The world heritage of Takht-e Soleyman (Throne of Solomon) complex was occupied as far back as the 5th Century BC during the Achaemenid period. There are many websites which explained about this historical site in detail. Just google the name and you will find a lot! However, I will tell you a little about it with some practical tips.

At the site’s heart is a fortified oval platform rising about 60 meters above the surrounding plain and there are an artesian lake, a Zoroastrian fire temple(6th and 7th centuries), and a Sasanian royal sanctuary. The site has strong symbolic and spiritual significance related to fire and water (the principal reason for its occupation from ancient times) over a period of some 2,500 years. There is also a temple which was dedicated to Anahita (the divinity of the waters). The first systematic excavation was undertaken by the German Archaeological Institute in the 1970s but unfinished and it is still under excavation. Ticket for foreigners was about 3 euro with a free guide (but I don’t know if he could speak English :D ). There are also books, photos and CDs. I heard from local people that during those days they would find many gold coins and other jewelry but no one knows where they are now! All the places around are under video supervision otherwise people will come at night to explore what is there underground at still excavation is not finished and if you walk, you will see with your own eyes that there are many bricks coming up from the earth which probably belongs to the buildings. If you talk to locals, they will tell you many stories about this place and also they all look for a tenant to give their house for one night to receive money. When they tell you about price, don’t forget to bargain! Negotiation is always the case! As my knowledge, the pice for one night was around 7-30 euro. There is also a camping place just next to the site. It is a very cold place especially at nights. So if you wanna sleep there, don’t forget to take winter clothes. Moreover, to be honest I did not like the people in that region so open your eyes! ;-)

A Museum is also present on this site which has revealed ancient coins, seals etc of the Sassanid period as well as Byzantine relics.

Also, the ancient fire temple still serves pilgrims performing a Zoroastrian ceremony (Gahanbar ceremony in AzarGoshnasp fire temple) which is someday around 7-8 September (I am not sure about the exact day). Some groups of people also come there in October for meditation around that wonderful green-water lake-size spring.

Zendan-e Soleyman, which rises about 100 m above its surroundings, is also around 3 kilometers from Takht-e-Soleyman. At its summit are the remains of shrines and temples dating from the first millennium BC.

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