important military matters. Iranian elements, on the other hand, are also expressed in the Takht-e Soleyman tiles. These are mainly literary themes from the Shahnama, the ‘Book of Kings’. The Shahnama a historical account of Iranian kings and mythological matters through the use of calligraphy and illustrations. For example, a tile has an image of Faridun, one of the legendary pre-Islamic Iranian kings, seen defeating the tyrant Zahhak. There is a tile with an image of Bahram V, who reigned in the 5th century in the Sassanian dynasty, shown hunting deer with Azada, his slave. Another scene is explained with calligraphy using a luster painting of Rustam (a famous Iranian warrior frequently included in the Shahnama) killing his son, Sohrab. Using stories and images from the Shahnama contributes to the integration of the Ilkhanid king into Iranian history, showing how Mongols are not just foreigners, but successors of Iran. There are also religious themes on the tiles, presented through Qur’an quotes, mentioning themes from the Shi’a branch of Islam. Many of the tiles were produced by craftsmen who followed the Shi’a path, where a hexagonal, exterior tile has the name ‘Ali’, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin, around the border six times. Gallery See also Cities of the Ancient Near East Derbent - another Sassanid fortress in the World Heritage List Iranian architecture List of Iranian castles Sassanid Dynasty Mount Takht-e Suleyman Cave of Daniel (Persian Wikipedia) References External links Takhtesoleiman.ir, Official Website Unesco.org, Takht-e Soleyman - UNESCO World Heritage Site Opera.com, image from Takht-e suleiman Irannegah.com, Video from Takht-e Soleyman More pictures, Tishineh Archaeological sites in Iran Fire temples in Iran Takab County World Heritage Sites in Iran Sasanian castles Castles in Iran Architecture in Iran Former populated places in Iran Tourist attractions in West Azerbaijan Province History of West Azerbaijan Province Buildings and structures in West Azerbaijan Province Solomon