Soltaniyeh (Persian: سلطانيه) is a city located in the Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Iran. It is the capital of both the county and the district.
History
Soltaniyeh is located about 240 kilometres (150 miles) to the north-west of Tehran. It was built in the 14th century as the capital of the Mongol Ilkhanid rulers in Iran. The name Soltaniyeh comes from the Islamic ruler title "sultan" and means "the Regal" in English. The city was visited by Ruy González de Clavijo, who wrote that it was an important place for silk trade.
In 2005, UNESCO added Soltaniyeh to its list of World Heritage Sites. The road from Zanjan to Soltaniyeh continues until it reaches the Katale khor cave.
William Dalrymple wrote that Öljaitü wanted Soltaniyeh to be "the largest and most magnificent city in the world." However, the city is now "a deserted, crumbling spread of ruins."
Demographics
In the 2006 National Census, the city had a population of 5,864 people living in 1,649 households. At that time, it was the capital of the former Soltaniyeh District of Abhar County. The next census in 2011 recorded 7,116 people in 2,013 households. By the 2016 census, the population had increased to 7,638 people in 2,319 households. At this point, the district was separated from Abhar County to create Soltaniyeh County. Soltaniyeh became the capital of the new Central District.
Ecclesiastical history
On April 1, 1318, Pope John XXII created the archdiocese of Soltania and separated it from the archdiocese of Khanbalik because of the work done by the Dominican and Franciscan orders in Persia. In 1329, the Latin Diocese of Samarcanda became a dependent diocese for the Chagatai Khanate, but this changed when Tamerlane, the founder of the Timurids, took control of Samarkand. The archdiocese was no longer used as a main church around 1450.
- Francesco da Perugia, Dominican Order O.P. (August 1, 1318 – ?)
- Guillaume Adam, O.P. (October 6, 1322 – October 26, 1324); previously Archbishop of Smirna (Smyrna) (Asian Turkey, now İzmir) (1318 – October 6, 1322); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Bar (Montenegro) (October 26, 1324 – death 1341)
- Giovanni di Cori, O.P. (August 9, 1329 – ?)
- Guglielmo, O.P. (? – ?)
- Giovanni di Piacenza, O.P. (January 9, 1349 – ?)
- Tommaso, O.P. (February 28, 1368 – ?)
- Domenico Manfredi, O.P. (August 18, 1388 – ?)
- Giovanni di Gallofonte, O.P. (August 26, 1398 – ?)
- Nicolò Roberti (January 24, 1401 – ?); previously Bishop of Ferrara (Italy) (February 4, 1393 – January 24, 1401)
- Thomas Abaraner, O.P. (December 19, 1425 – ?)
- Giovanni, O.P. (December 19, 1425 – ?)
In 1450, the archdiocese was changed into a Latin Titular archbishopric, which was later ended in 1926:
- Titular Bishop Francisco Salazar, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (September 12, 1548 – ?)
- Titular Bishop: Bishop-elect Bernardino de Carmona (July 10, 1551 – ?)
- Titular Archbishop Alberto Bitter (October 9, 1922 – December 19, 1926)
Sources and external links
- Official website
- GCatholic, which includes information about current and past religious leaders
- Video showing Soltaniyeh
- Farnoush Tehrāni's book The Crown of All Domes, published in Persian by Jadid Online on December 31, 2009
- An audio slideshow (6 minutes and 45 seconds long)
- http://sultaniyya.org/