We used the city of Zanjan as a base for visiting Soltaniye and Takht-e Soleiman
The historical Karvansan Sangi Restaurant was located in an old caravanserai with domed ceilings and octagon shaped holes to let the light in
We caught a public minibus from Zanjan to the village of Soltaniyeh
The impressive brick Mausoleum of Oljeitu
At 25 metres in diameter and 48 metres high, the turquoise tile covered dome is one of the world’s tallest brick domes
We climbed two floors up a steep spiral staircase to the terrace which had beautifully carved ceilings
1½ kms away from the mausoleum and in the middle of some farmland we found the much smaller Mullah Hasan Kashi tomb
Back in Zanjan we paid a visit to the Rakhatshor Khaneh – a historical laundry house with some strange Iranian wax mannequins performing various laundry operations
Handmade Iranian leather slippers for sale at the Rakhatshor Khaneh
Fresh trout for sale in the Zanjan Bazaar – once we discovered how delicious they were, we ate them every day for the rest of our stay in Iran
The Haj Dadash Teahouse and Restaurant, an old converted hammam (bathhouse) inside the bazaar
We hired a driver and a car for the 2½ hour drive to the ruins of Takht-e Soleiman (Solomon’s Throne) which lay in a broad and remote mountain valley
Takht-e Soleiman was the main centre of Zoroastrianism in the 3rd century AD and was surrounded by impenetrable stone walls
The site was largely in ruins but at its centre was a stunning turquoise blue crater lake
4 km away was the Zendan -e- Soleiman (Solomon's Prison), a volcanic core rising out of the plain.
It was a 15 minute climb to the top of the cone and from there we had amazing views of the surrounding countryside
We peered into a huge hole which was 65 m in diameter and a dizzying 80 m deep. The hole was full of mud and was emitting a strong sulphuric smell.
On the way down, we stumbled across a small snake sunbathing
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