Soltaniyeh is a city in the Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

History

Soltaniyeh, located some 240 km to the north-west of Tehran, was built as the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Iran in the 14th century. Its name which refers to the Islamic ruler title sultan translates loosely as "the Regal". Soltaniyeh was visited by Ruy González de Clavijo, who reported that the city was a hub of silk exportation. In 2005, UNESCO listed Soltaniyeh as one of the World Heritage Sites. The road from Zanjan to Soltaniyeh extends until it reaches to the Katale khor cave. William Dalrymple notes that Öljaitü intended Soltaniyeh to be "the largest and most magnificent city in the world" but that it "died with him" and is now "a deserted, crumbling spread of ruins."

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 5,864 in 1,649 households, when it was capital of the former Soltaniyeh District of Abhar County. The following census in 2011 counted 7,116 people in 2,013 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 7,638 people in 2,319 households, by which time the district had been separated from the county in the establishment of Soltaniyeh County. Soltaniyeh was transferred to the new Central District as the county's capital.

Ecclesiastical history

The city was established as a Catholic episcopal see on 1 April 1318 for the Archdiocese of Soltania. In 1329, the Latin Diocese of Samarcanda became its suffragan for the Chagatai Khanate, at least until Tamerlane (founder of the Timurids) swept its see Samarkand. The archdiocese was suppressed as residential see around 1450.

Residential archbishops

Titular see

Transformed at its suppression as residential see in 1450 into a Latin Titular archbishopric, which was itself suppressed in 1926:

Sources and external links

• Audio slideshow: (6 min 45 sec). http://sultaniyya.org/