The St. Thaddeus Church_West Azerbaijan

The St. Thaddeus Church best known as Qara Church and Tatavoos Church (which literally means Black church) is an ancient Armenian monastery perched on a mountain ridge in the northern Iranian province of West Azerbaijan. Located 20 kilometers south of Maku, the massive church can be seen against the natural background of rolling hills; its cuspidate tambours catches the eye of beauty-seekers. As one of the oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran, Qara Church carries great significance for the country's Armenian Orthodox community. Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world's first church and was constructed in 68 CE by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus, who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach the teachings of Christ.According to historical records of the Sassanid period, some of the Armenians were the followers of prophet Zoroaster, whereas some were sun worshipers. In the year 43 AD. two men by the names of Tatavoos and Batholemus preached on Christianity in the vicinity of Azerbaijan, thereby gaining a number of followers estimated at 3,500 people, including the daughter of the monarch of the time. In order to stop the advancement of Christianity, the Armenian ruler ordered for their massacre in the year 66 AD. It is said that their bodies were buried in the vicinity of this church.

Takht’e Soleiman_West Azerbaijan

Takht’e Soleiman is an archaeological site in West Azerbaijan, Iran. It lies midway between Urmia and Hamedan, in a valley set in a volcanic mountain region, close to the present-day town of Takab, and 400 kilometers west of Tehran. The site includes the principal Zoroastrian sanctuary partly rebuilt in the Ilkhanid (Mongol) period (13th century) as well as a temple of the Sassanid period (6th and 7th centuries) dedicated to Anahita. According to studies carried out by Iranian and foreign, Takht’e Soleiman saw four stages of construction during the Sassanid era. The Ilkhanids, a Mongol people who ruled eastern Iran from 1256 to 1349, also added some structures to the monument in five stages.Takht’e Soleiman consisted of a fire temple called Azargoshasb in the Sassanid era when the temple was at its apogee. Azargoshasb was one of the three main fire temples built around the lake located in the region, at the order of Khosro Anooshirvan, who ruled the Sassanid Empire from 531 to 579 CE. This Zoroastrian fire temple housed one of the three "Great Fires" or "Royal Fires" that Sassanid rulers humbled themselves before in order to ascend the throne. At its heyday during the Sassanid era, the Azargoshasb fire temple burned for some 7 centuries as a symbol of the strength of Zoroastrianism. Studies indicate that Takht’e Soleiman had been converted into a township comprised of a bazaar, a mosque, a bath house, and housing units after the Ilkhanids devastated the royal monuments of the site. Abagha, Hulegu's successor, expelled people from the township, but they returned after his death in 1282.Folk legend relates that King Solomon used to imprison monsters inside the 100 meter deep crater of the nearby "Prison of Solomon". Another crater inside the fortification itself is filled with spring water; Solomon is said to have created a flowing pond that still exists today. A 4th century Armenian manuscript relating to Jesus and Zoroaster, and various historians of the Islamic period, mention this pond. The foundations of the fire temple around the pond is attributed to that legend. Nevertheless, Solomon belongs to Semitic legends and therefore, the lore and namesake (Solomon's Throne) should have been formed following Islamic conquest of Persia. After the Conquest, the Arabs sought to destroy anything Zoroastrian or Persian, as these things were deemed to be contrary to Islam. In order to avoid this, the Persians changed the names of many sites and monuments to save them from destruction.