Soltaniyeh

Soltaniyeh (Persian: سلطانيه) is a city in the Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Soltaniyeh, located some 240 kilometres (150 mi) to the north-west of Tehran, was built as the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Iran in the 14th century. Its name which refers to the Islamic ruler title sultan translates loosely as "the Regal". Soltaniyeh was visited by Ruy González de Clavijo, who reported that the city was a hub of silk exportation. In 2005, UNESCO listed Soltaniyeh as one of the World Heritage Sites. The road from Zanjan to Soltaniyeh extends until it reaches to the Katale khor cave. William Dalrymple notes that Öljaitü intended Soltaniyeh to be "the largest and most magnificent city in the world" but that it "died with him" and is now "a deserted, crumbling spread of ruins."

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 5,864 in 1,649 households, when it was capital of the former Soltaniyeh District of Abhar County. The following census in 2011 counted 7,116 people in 2,013 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 7,638 people in 2,319 households, by which time the district had been separated from the county in the establishment of Soltaniyeh County. Soltaniyeh was transferred to the new Central District as the county's capital.