UNESCO mistake or CHTHO gaffe?
Tehran Times Culture Desk

TEHRAN -- Iran’s giant Soltanieh Dome has been illustrated with a photo of a small dome of the country on the UNESCO website for the World Heritage List.

“Has Iran made a mistake in not sending the correct photos or has UNESCO done this in error,” the Persian service of CHN asked in an article published on Monday.

Anyway, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) is responsible for the mistake, the writer of the article said.

“It is CHTHO’s duty to correct such a mistake and to introduce Iran properly,” the article added.

The UNESCO website describes well the grandeur of the Soltannieh Dome. However, the photo used for illustrating the description features the small tomb of the famous eulogist of the Safavid era, Molla Hassan Kashani, which is located near the Soltannieh Dome.

The Soltanieh, the mausoleum of Oljaitu, was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2005.

It is an Islamic monument that was constructed from 1302 to 1312 in the city of Soltanieh, the capital of the Ilkhanids, a Mongol dynasty that ruled in Iran from 1256 to 1353.

Situated in Zanjan Province, Soltanieh is one of the outstanding examples of the achievements of Persian architecture and is a key monument in the development of its Islamic architecture.

The octagonal building is crowned with a dome 50 meters in height covered in turquoise blue faience and surrounded by eight slender minarets. The mausoleum has the tallest dome in the Islamic world.

Photo: The photo of the tomb of Molla Hassan Kashani has mistakenly been used for the Soltannieh Dome on the UNESCO website for the World Cultural Heritage List.

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