The site of the ancient city of Soltaniyeh, in north-western Iran, was included in the UNESCO list in 2005 because of its enormous value for the historical memory of the country. The city was, in fact, the capital of Mongolian Ilkhanate in the 14th century, a period to which the most important monument of the site refers: the mausoleum of Ilkhan Oljeitu (in power from 1304 to 1316).
The marvellous octagonal mausoleum, an admirable example of Persian architecture erected between 1302 and 1312, owes its architectural importance above all to the grandiose double dome that rises 49 metres above the ground. The building, once covered with finely decorated blue majolica tiles, is surrounded by eight narrow minarets.
