The Soltan Bakht Agha Mausoleum () is a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

located in the city of Esfahan, in the province of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The mausoleum complex entombs the remains of Soltan Bakht Agha, the niece of the Injuid ruler, Abu Ishaq Inju. The complex includes the Dardasht Minarets (), that were added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

Soltan Bakht Agha

Soltan Bakht Agha () was the niece of the last Injuid ruler, Abu Ishaq Inju. After Abu Ishaq Inju was executed by the Muzaffarid ruler, Mubariz al-Din Muhammad, in the year 1357, Soltan Bakht Agha decided to marry his son, Shah Mahmud Mozaffari so that she could cause disruptions and dissent amongst the Muzaffarid princes, as retribution for the execution of her beloved uncle. She was assisted in her task by Shah Shoja Mozaffari, the brother of Shah Mahmud. Eventually, Shah Mahmud found out about her plot, and she was executed by him as well in the same year.

History

The mausoleum was constructed in 1375 CE by Shah Shoja Mozaffari, who conquered Isfahan after the imprisonment of Mubariz al-Din Muhammad. He ordered a mausoleum to be built as a way to honour her bravery. It is also suggested that it was built on an earlier structure dating back to Shah Mahmud's rule. There was also a madrasah present at some point of time, but that is all gone in the modern age.

Architecture

The building is made out of brick. The dome over the mausoleum is decorated with turquoise and azure tiles. The rest of the mausoleum is coated with a layer of plaster. All the decorations on the walls have faded off after many years. The pair of Dardasht minarets are made of bricks and they flank the

iwan An iwan (, , also as ''ivan'' or ''ivān''/''īvān'', , ) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...

leading to the mausoleum. Each minaret is tall, and decorated with several of the 99 names of

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

in the

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

way.

Gallery

مناره های دردشت-شناسه115-2.jpg, A general view of the mausoleum مناره های دردشت،سردر ورودی.jpg, A close-up of the iwan and the two minarets flanking it Dardasht minarets2.jpg, A noticeboard outside the building, mistakenly ascribing the origin during the

Ilkhanid The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

period Iwan of Dardasht Minarets.jpg, Some detailing underneath the main iwan دو مناردردشت 03.jpg, The mausoleum viewed from Jafarian street, Ebn-e Sina district 3 Mobile graphy hamed jooyafar 2021.jpg, The mausoleum at night

Notes

References

External links

{{Isfahan Province 14th-century religious buildings and structures Buildings and structures completed in 1375 Mausoleums, shrines and tombs on the Iran National Heritage List Domes in Iran Ilkhanid architecture Mausoleums in Isfahan Minarets in Iran Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1370s Religious buildings and structures with domes Religious buildings and structures with minarets