The Ilkhanid City of Sultaniyya: Some Remarks on the Citadel and the Outer City

ABSTRACT Mongol campaigns in Iran in the thirteenth century caused extensive destruction in different aspects of the social life and built environment of Iran. Following the foundation of the Ilkhanid dynasty in 1256, along with the reconstruction of the cities that had been extensively destroyed during the Mongol attack on Iran, the Ilkhans (Mongol rulers) founded a number of new settlements. Sultaniyya in one of the major urban centres that was planned and constructed from the outset by the Ilkhans. In view of the available architectural remains, archaeological findings, and written records, this article seeks to describe the spatial structure of the citadel and the outer city of Ilkhanid Sultaniyya.