Hassanloo Hill, only 6km off Naqadeh Sadouz plains, quaintly recounts West-Azarbaijan's magnificent glory and is a remnant of a citadel town in the first millennium B.C. A cup known as Hassanloo Golden Cup was discovered in the region by Iranian and foreign archaeologists in 1908.
Digaleh, Gouy Tappeh Hills in Urumieh and Aharnjan, Maftvan in Salmas share the same glorious beauty and are as popular as Hassanloo Hill. They have the oldest model settlement in the world, belonging to 7,000 years B.C. founded in the Koul Tappeh Hill of Salmas.
Along with Digaleh and Gouy Tappeh, the historical hills of Tarmani, Dizaj Tekyeh, Chichakli, and Ahmad Surlan are the famous sites of Urumieh.
A 2000-year-old B.C. tablet, preserved at the New York's Metropolitan Museum was excavated from Gouy Tappeh.
The indoor bazaar complex covering an area of approximately 60,000 square meters with nearly a thousand stores is undergoing renovation. It has been registered by Azarbaijan's Cultural Heritage Department.
Se Gonbad (Three Domes) edifice is another remnant belonging to the Siljukid dynasty. It consists of two parts, the "Sardabeh" (a place of burial or cellar) and a place of worship. Inscriptions written in Kufic calligraphy indicate Shishghat al-Manzari and Mansour ibn Mousa, as its founder and architects.
Khoy has beautiful sceneries as well, such as the stone gate, Shams Tabriz Tower and the Khatoun Bridge which establish its antiquity.
The stone gate is located in the city's old fortification zone and is estimated to be built in the Qajar dynasty.
This building which is adjacent to Khoy Bazaar consists of carved black and grey stones and the ornamentation is limited to two carved stone-lions.
Shams Tabrizi Tower in which Shams Tabrizi, the prominent mystic and Molavi's follower is buried, dates back to Shah Esmaeil Safavid era.
Richly decorated with goat-horn, the 12m tower is a pleasant sight. The horns are memorabilia of Shah Esmaeil's hunting sports. The ornate Khatoun Bridge with 7 openings and 60m length is positioned on one of the branches of Qotour River and said to have been built in 1170 A.H. It was the main route between Salmas and Khoy.
The relief inscriptions carved on the Khan Takhti Mountain is another historical monument which dates back to Sassanid dynasty.
Located in Salmas-Urumieh route, it is 15km off Salmas and represents the victory of Sassanid dynasty over The Romans. There are holy shrines in Azarbaijan as well which have hundreds of pilgrims each year.
HJ/HD/SM
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MNA
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