Zanjan Provice

Zanjan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran located in Iranian Azerbaijan with mostly Azerbaijani residences. It is part of Iran’s Regions 3. Its capital is Zanjan city. The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it by a freeway. Zanjan is the happiest province in Iran.

Rakhtshouy-Khaneh Museum

Rakhtshouy-Khaneh (laundry House) is a traditional Qajar era laundry house and today it is Zanjan̕ s Museum of Anthropology. Historical building of Rakhtshouy-Khaneh lies at the historical texture of the Zanjan city and was built nearly 20th century. This place was used for washing clothes women around the city. It was constructed by two brothers, Mashdi Akbar and Mashadi Esmail. The nearest tourist attraction to Rakhtshouy-Khaneh is the Saltmen Museum.

Soltaniyeh Dome

Soltaniyeh historical dome, the largest brick dome in the world, was built commissioned by Sultan Mohammad Khodabandeh (Oljeitu) in Soltaniyeh city, the capital of Ilkhanid dynasty from 1302 to 1312. This mausoleum, as an artistic masterpiece of Iranian and Islamic architecture, in Azari style is the first monument through which we can clearly follow the evolution process of Persian-Islamic architecture from Seljuk to Ilkhanid. Brick is the main material used in this building. The plan of ground floor, the first floor and the nearby spaces has been designed as a semi-rectangle shape and the other parts of the plan in the second and third floor is an octagonal on which the dome is stood as a hemispherical form. Eight minarets have been designed to place on the angles of the octagonal above the third floor. In addition to eight entrances, eight porches, eight minarets and a dome, the building has consisted of a Torbat khaneh and a basement. It is stated that the Soltaniyeh skylight windows are similar to the sun clocks which had been used for religious issues. Two-shelled domes are invented here for the first time in the architecture history of the world. The Soltaniyeh brick dome is the third tall dome in the world after Florence Santa Maria Cathedral and Istanbul Hagia Sophia. The outer shell of the dome has been covered by turquoise blue and ultramarine marquetry tiles. Soltaniyeh dome is two-shelled and the building has various rich decorations.

Saltmen Museum

Saltmen (Mardan-e Namaki) is a name which has been given to six mummified men discovered in Chehr-Abad salt mine, in the winter of 1993, among them, there are the bodies of a woman and a teenage boy too. Some of the salt men have been severely hurt as a result of mine working by bulldozer. In 2008, mine operation stopped and the body of the sixth salt man was left untouched in the mine due to lack of necessary equipment to maintain it. Among discovered bodies, three of them belonged to Achaemenid period (About 400 BC) and two of them to late periods of Sassanid dynasty (about 400 to 600 AD). Zolfaghari Mansion is a historical monument located in an old district called “Dalan Alte” in the northern side of Sabzeh Meydan and Jame Mosque in Zanjan. After the transfer of mummies found in Chehrabad salt mine, temporary museum of mummies was created in 2007. And the first museum of archeology of Zanjan opened in Zolfaghari Mansion in 2009. The nearest tourist attractions to the museum are the archeology museum which is also in this building and Rakhtshouy-Khaneh Museum.

Behestan Castle (Dood-kesh Jen)

Mah- Neshan country, located in the west of Zanjan province is one of the most affluent and virgin districts of the province, and contain many historical and natural attractions such as a natural lake several seasonal and perennial streams, towering mountains, gardens, and beautiful fields. It can be said that Mah-Neshan County has high potential for attracting tourists. There are 184 historical tourist attractions in Mah-Neshan County, some of which date back to Bronze Age, i.e. 5000 years ago. In comparison with other historical monuments, Qualu Village and Behestan Castle have been recommended more, i.e. they can attract New Year (Nowrouz) tourists of Mah-Neshan County to a great extent. Behestan Castle or Kohan Dezh (old Stronghold) is located in Mah-Neshan County near Behestan Village next to Qezel Uzan River. It goes back to the Medes. So far, it has been proved that the castle coincided with Achaemenid period.

Katale-Khor Cave

Katale-Khor is a cave located in Zanjan Province almost 165 km south of Zanjan city and 370 km from Tehran. It is near Garmab city. The road from Zanjan to Katale-Khor cave passes Soltanieh (home to the largest brick dome in the world). Katale-Khor is not just the longest but also the most beautiful cave of Iran. There are suites and accommodations around the cave for those intending an overnight stay. It has satisfactory access road. Geological studies in 1984 showed that the cave formation dates back to the Jurassic period. The cave was discovered before 1921 and has been run by a custodian since 1994.

Dashkasan Temple

Dashkasan Temple is one of the best examples of rock – out architecture in Iran that goes back to king Arqun, the father of Soltan Mohammad Khoda-bandeh Dashkasan temple is a unique one in Iran. It is a temple with dragon design. The nearest tourist attraction to the temple is Dome of Soltaniyeh.