Ancient Christian Cemetery Discovered Near Islamic Monument in Iran

Teresa Neumann : Dec 3, 2007
Staff - Mehr News

Tombstone read, "Jesus, the only son of the father, when it is time to return..."

(Tehran, Iran)—A Christian cemetery dating back to the 13th century Mongol era has been discovered near the Soltanieh Dome, an Islamic monument registered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. (Artistic rendering of Soltanieh Dome-Asar Gallery of Art)

According to an article in Mehr News, a single gravestone bearing an ancient Armenian script that read, "Jesus, the only son of the father, when it is time to return, the sleeping soul of the late…" led a team of experts from the Soltanieh Dome Cultural Heritage Center to the discovery of the burial ground.

The report notes that the mother of Mongol ruler Hulegu Khan (c. 1217-1265), who founded the Ilkhanid dynasty in Iran, was interested in Christianity and as a result many Christian residents of Tabriz emigrated to Soltanieh, the location of present day Zanjan.