Masjid-i Solaiman
 
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Situation in Iran |
Masjid-i Solaiman ( Mosque of Solomon ) is an archaeological site in the city of Masjed Soleyman in modern-day Iran . The place is about 40 km east of Shushar . A large sanctuary stood here on a terrace in Seleucid and later times.
The stone terrace is approx. 54 × 91 m and has an irregular shape. In the north, south and east there were stairs that led to the terrace, in the middle of which stood the Parthian and Sassanid great temples . There was certainly a previous Seleucid building from which numerous Hellenistic equestrian figures originate. To the northwest of this temple stood a smaller building (approx. 8 × 17 m).
The discovery of a plaque with a woman's bust and a woman's head resembling the image of Athena gave rise to the assumption that the great temple worshiped Athena Hippia. In Strabo (XVI.1.18) is actually mentioned that the Parthians destroyed an Athena sanctuary in the area. The remains of a statue of Heracles were found in the small building . Therefore Roman Ghirshman , the excavator of the temple complex, suspected that this god was worshiped here.
After the Seleucid period, the building continued to operate as a sanctuary. The function of this complex as a sanctuary appears very likely, but is not specifically guaranteed.
literature
- R. Ghirshman: Terrasses sacrees de Bard-e Nechandeh et Masjid-i Solomain , Paris 1976
- DT Potts: The Archeology of Elam , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999 ISBN 0521563585 , pp. 371-373
Web links
Coordinates: 31 ° 56 '10 " N , 49 ° 18' 15.8" E