The citadel includes the remains of Adur Gushnasp, a Zoroastrian fire temple built during the Sasanian era and partially rebuilt (as a mosque) under the Ilkhanate.

[1] A 4th century[citation needed] Armenian manuscript relating to Jesus and Zoroaster, and various historians of the Islamic period, mention this pond.

Situated in the province of Azerbaijan of northwestern Iran, the remains of the Takht-e Soleyman complex can be found upon a grassy plain, surrounded by a volcanic mountain region.

[2] Meaning “the Throne of Solomon” in Persian, Sughurlukh in Turkish, translating to “a place abounding in marmots”,[3] Takht-e Soleyman was built in the thirteenth century under the Ilkhanid dynasty as a summer and hunting palace.

The Ilkhanids wanted to integrate themselves into the historical Iranian fabric,[3] hence them using the pre-existing and pre-Islamic Sasanian structure to build their own post-Islamic and Mongol inspired complex.

[4] This was partially due to the natural advantages of the landscape, with high mountains that sloped to lowland plains, a warm climate around Lake Urmia (the large body of water in the proximity of the complex), and lush, fertile grounds for ideal agriculture.

They combined temporary and permanent architecture together, which is evident at Takht-e Soleyman, the only surviving secular structure of the Ilkhanid period.

[6] Two large rectangular halls are placed in front of the south iwan and connect the surrounding ovular wall with the porticoed courtyard of the palace proper.

Plaster remnants on the floor within the west iwan provide evidence that the dome of the southern chamber room was elaborately decorated with muqarnas.

The muqarnas and luster tiles, as well as the painted stucco walls, all demonstrate the importance of lavish decoration of Ilkhanid architecture, especially with palatial structures.

[7] Excavated from under the ruins of Takht-e Soleyman, specifically in the southern octagonal chamber of the west iwan, is a stucco plate now kept in Tehran at the National Museum of Iran.

The majority of the design consists of squares, rhombi, and isosceles triangles all arranged along a diagonal axis with the empty upper right corner corresponding to the center of the muqarnas vault.

[6] Tiles found at Takht-e Soleyman are great artistic marks that demonstrate the interaction with and influence from China during the fourteenth century.

Geometric patterns were very prevalent, with the inclusion of interwoven lines, hexagon shaped tiles, and eight-pointed star symbols, deriving from Chinese ceramics that were very popular with Iranian merchants during the fourteenth century.

[8] Takht-e Soleyman's tile decorations show a mixing of multiple cultures, using artistic traditions from Buddhism, Chinese mythology, and pre-Islamic Iran, and the current Islamic world itself.

Another scene is explained with calligraphy using a luster painting of Rustam (a famous Iranian warrior frequently included in the Shahnameh) killing his son, Sohrab.

Using stories and images from the Shahnameh contributes to the integration of the Ilkhanid monarch into Iranian history, showing how Mongols are not just foreigners, but successors of Iran.

The British explorers Theodore and Mabel Bent dug “in front of a mosque” at the site in early May 1889, returning to London later with at least one tile fragment.