Soltaniyeh Dome, architectural masterpiece of Ilkhanid Era Iran’s Treasury of National Jewels, a collection of history and art
Iran is a country with a rich history full of ups and downs. Therefore, each museum in Iran represents a part of this long history, and visiting them can greatly immerse us in what has happened over time. One of the most famous museums of Iran is the museum of Treasury of National Jewels, originally the Iranian Crown Jewels, which is located in the basement of the Central Bank of Iran. It houses royal jewelry and historical objects from ancient periods to modern times, iransafar.co wrote.
The museum is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Tehran, which preserves the exquisite treasures of crown jewels under the title of the national treasury. The unique and valuable objects that exist today in the museum of Treasury of National Jewels are a collection of the history and art of this land.
Nader Shah’s war booty
Nadir Shah Afshar (1736–1747), the founder of the Afsharid Dynasty, invaded the Mughal Empire of India with a huge army, eventually attacking Delhi in March 1739. His army had easily defeated the Mughals at the battle at Karnal region and would eventually capture the Mughal capital in the aftermath of the battle. The reason for this war was the asylum of the Afghan rebels in India; the ones who had captured Isfahan and overthrown the last Safavid king. Mohammad Shah of India accepted their asylum and ignored Nader’s messages asking him to surrender them. After the Mughal king did not accept to surrender of the Afghan refugee rebels, the Iranian troops crossed the Indus River, defeated the Indian army, and captured the capital Delhi where more than 30,000 troops were killed in the war. Inevitably, Mohammad Shah asked for safety. In response, Nader Shah accepted retreat in exchange for the key to the royal treasury. Priceless jewels including Kuh-e
Darya-ye Nur
oltaniyeh Dome, a historical monument dating back to the Ilkhanid Era (1256-1353 CE), located in the city of Soltaniyeh, the northwestern province of Zanjan, is one of the architectural masterpieces of Iran, said the research director of the province’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Abolfazl Aali said that the dome, along with other ancient structures of the historical city of Soltaniyeh, are the significant manifestations of the culture, art and architecture of the Ilkhanid Era.
He said that the ancient citadel and Jaame Mosque of the city are among the other important edifices dating back to the Ilkhanid Era. The Soltaniyeh Dome is one of the most outstanding monuments of Iran in terms of size, architecture and decorations.
Aali added that after the Mongol invasion of Iran and during the Ilkanid Period, relative calm reigned over the country.
“Ilkanid rulers were influenced by the Islamic culture of the Iranian people; their characters were very different from
Nur (Light Mountain), Darya-ye Nur (Sea of Light), and thousands of others were brought to Iran.
Nader Shah’s Shield
One of the special objects of the jewelry treasury is Nader Shah’s Shield, which he used in various wars. With a diameter of 46cm, this shield is covered with rhino skin and is studded with emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Initially, it had a simple cover. But later, like the sword, it was ornamented by the order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. In the center of this shield you will see one of the largest rubies in the world, weighing 225 carats, surrounded by a star of rows of diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
This diamond may be the first among the national jewels of Iran. This famous diamond and the diamond of Kuh-e Nur, apparently due to the closeness of the name, have always been considered a couple, while in terms of cut and color, they
have nothing in common with each other. Both gems were brought to Iran by Nader Shah from his Delhi conquest, but the diamond of Kuh-e Nur was stolen and taken to Afghanistan after Nader’s death. It was later presented to Queen Victoria those that invaded the country. In fact, their culture was more similar to that of Iranians than Mongols.
“It is true that Soltanieh had its peak of fame and prosperity during the Ilkhanid Era, but archeological evidence shows that the city existed before that period. The results of excavations carried out in Soltanieh revealed that people lived in the region six to seven thousand years ago,” he said.
Aali continued that, with a lot of water resources, Soltaniyeh has been a suitable living area, and that traces of human habitation, dating back to the Copper, Bronze and Iron ages, have been discovered in Soltanieh.
He said that the region maintained its significance during various historical periods, noting that artifacts dating back to Achaemenid, Ashkanid and Sassanid periods were discovered in the region.
“Soltaniyeh, having a large number of meadows, was of great importance during the Mongol Era. The cold and dry climate of the region was very similar to that of Mongolia, thus Mongols used the meadows to keep their horses and sheep,” he said.
He said urban planning in Soltaniyeh began from the time of Arghun Khan, the fourth ruler of the Ilkanid Empire.
“Oljaitu, the son of Arghun Khan, is the founder of Soltanieh Dome. Arghun Khan himself was not a Muslim; he built
II, the current Queen of England.
After Nader Shah’s assassination, the Darya-ye Nur diamond passed to his grandson Shahrukh Mirza, and later to Lotfali Khan Zand (1769-1794), the last king of the Zand Dynasty. When Lotfali Khan was defeated by Qajars, the gem was transferred to the Qajar jewelry treasury and now adorns the crown jewels treasury. Darya-ye Nur weighs 182 carats and its color is pink, which is the rarest color of diamonds.
Jeweled Globe
the only Buddhist temple in Iran 20 kilometers from Soltaniyeh. However, his sons Ghazan Khan and Oljaitu both became Muslim.
Aali observed that by order of Oljaitu, many Iranian artists migrated to the region from all over the country and a large city was established in Soltanieh. At that time, its population was 100,000 while, presently, about 20,000 people live in the city.
He noted that Soltanieh has a large citadel having various sections as well as several fences and towers, adding that all of them have been excavated.
The official noted that the first renovation projects were implemented in Soltanieh Dome by Italian groups 80 years ago.
He said that 17 periods of archeological excavations were carried out in the old city of Soltanieh, the ancient citadel and Jaame Mosque by Iranian archeological groups, headed by Ali-asqar Mirfatah, during the 1980s and 1990s.
“A number of rural houses located in the area were purchased by the government and destroyed; this helped archeologists to excavate the ancient citadel. The houses, which were built on the citadel, damaged a large part of it,” he said, noting that a renovation project is presently underway in the monument.
Another most valuable treasure of the Treasury of National Jewels is the Jeweled Globe that fascinates visitors. This globe was made by Iranian jewelers in 1874, by the order of Nassereddin Shah Qajar. The net weight of the gold used in this globe is 34kg and the weight of its jewelry is 3,656 grams. The total number of jewels installed on the globe is 51,366 pieces. The seas and oceans on the globe are represented by emeralds and the lands by rubies, diamonds, and sapphire. On the globe, Southeast Asia, Iran, and the United Kingdom are marked with diamonds, India with rubies, and Central and South Africa with sapphires.
Pahlavi Crown
This crown, which was made in the shape of the crown of the Sassanid kings, was used by Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878-1944)and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980). Made of gold and silver, this crown is adorned with highquality diamonds, large emeralds, rubies, and pearls.
Qajar kings used the Kiani Crown in their coronations, but Reza Khan Pahlavi refused to use it in his coronation. Therefore, in 1925, a group of Iranian jewelers, under the supervision of Sirajuddin Javaheri, the famous Caucasian jeweler and jeweler Amir Bukhara, who had emigrated from Russia to Iran, made the crown from selected gems. Inspiration for the new design was drawn from paintings and historical references to crowns used during the Sassanid Empire, which had ruled Persia from 224 to 651 CE.
Kiani Crown
The crown of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, known as the Kiani Crown, is adorned with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. This crown was made during the reign of Fath Ali Shah (1772-1834) and was used by Qajar kings. This crown is the first crown that has been made in the same way after the Sassanid Empire.
Nur-ol-eyn Tiara
Nur-ol-eyn Tiara was made for Farah Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza Shah’s last wife. This royal tiara is an iconic and fine work of renowned American jeweler Harry Winston. Worn by Farah on the occasion of her wedding in 1959, the tiara was well-known for its rare pink diamond, the Nur-ol-eyn. During studies and reviews of on both diamonds of Darya-ye Nur and the Nur-ol-eyn, experts concluded that they were originally one piece and were later divided into two parts. Darya-ye Nur is the bigger piece, and the smaller piece, Nur-ol-eyn, weighing 60 carats.
Concluded