Azargoshnasp Fire Temple

One of three supreme Zoroastrian sacred fires of pre-Islamic Iran, housed within the Takht-e Soleyman complex in northwestern Iran. Established as a religious sanctuary in the early-to-mid 5th century AD, the fire was associated with the warrior class and moved from the earlier capital of Gazaca. The temple is a chahar-taq (four-arched) structure with a domed central hall built atop a mound rising 60 m above an artesian lake. Sacked by Byzantine emperor Heraclius in 623 AD, it was rebuilt but the fire was eventually extinguished by the 11th century. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.