Prison of Solomon

Coordinates: 36°36′52″N 47°12′05″E / 36.6145°N 47.2015°E / 36.6145; 47.2015
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Prison of Solomon
Highest point
Elevation2,254 m (7,395 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Prominence97–107 meters
Naming
Native nameزندان سلیمان (Persian)
Geography
LocationWest Azerbaijan, Iran

The Prison of Solomon (Persian: زندان سلیمان, romanizedZendān-e Soleymān) is a hollow cone shaped hill in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. There is an 80 meters deep pit in the middle of the hill, and the entrance to the pit is roughly 65 meters in diameter.[1][2]

Name[edit]

Its current name "Prison of Solomon" was given to it by locals who think it is the place Solomon kept demons prisoner.[3]

History[edit]

The hill is the result of an Artesian spring first creating a small pond. Lime and other minerals then slowly sedimented around the pond and created a wall. Over ages, this wall became taller and taller as the water overflew from the existing wall and sedimented even more which led to the structure we have today. The spring then dried, leaving a hollow hill behind.[4][3]

Inside the pit

Located 3 kilometers west of Takht-e Soleymān, the place has been subject to many religious and cultural practices through ages. It used to be surrounded by walls and hosted a Mannaean temple in 880–660 BCE.[5][4] However it did not reach its greatest religious importance until early 5th century CE when Takht-e Soleyman was established nearby as an important Zoroastrian temple.[5]

National heritage site[edit]

It was listed among the national heritage sites of Iran in 15 March 2001 with the number 3257.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "کوه میان تهی"زندان سلیمان" جاذبه‌ای شگفت‌انگیز در تکاب". ایسنا (in Persian). 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  2. ^ Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica. "TAḴT-E SOLAYMĀN". iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  3. ^ a b "گزارش| ماجرای هولناک زندان سلیمان / سرنوشت ارتباط بین زندان دیو و حضرت سلیمان چیست؟- اخبار آذربایجان غربی - اخبار استانها تسنیم | Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. ^ a b "آشنایی با محوطه تاریخی زندان سلیمان - آذربایجان‌غربی". همشهری آنلاین (in Persian). 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. ^ a b "Soleyman Prison: a conical peak with fascinating history". Tehran Times. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  6. ^ "«دانشنامهٔ تاریخ معماری و شهرسازی ایران‌شهر». وزارت راه و شهرسازی. بایگانی‌شده از روی نسخه اصلی در ۶ اکتبر ۲۰۱۹. دریافت‌شده در ۱۰ اکتبر ۲۰۱۹". 2019-10-06. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2021-11-24.

36°36′52″N 47°12′05″E / 36.6145°N 47.2015°E / 36.6145; 47.2015