Seals and clay sealing from Takht-e-Soleyman (Āzargušnasp Fire Temple)

According to historical sources, Āzarbāyjān was considerd as a significant military base because of bordering the Christians Armenian (in the north) and Romans (in the west). It was also supposed as an important sanctuary because of the Āzargušnasp fire temple in Takht-e-Soleymān (ancient šīz) from the beginning of the Sasanian period. Takht-e-Soleymān is one of the favorite and considerable archaeological sites for archeologists which is in the northeast of Tekab and in the south of Urmia Lake with architectural relics from Sasanian and Achaemenid eras. Indeed, it is the biggest religious and political establishment of the late Sasanian period which has been explored and excavated. The ruins of Āzargušnasp fire temple are in an oval fortification with great gates related to Sasanian period and also Islamic periods.In the German and Swedish archaeologists’ excavations of Takht-e-Soleymān, great number of seal and clay sealing (a picture which is drown by seal on clay) were discovered from the late Sasanian period which have clarified the official status of that era, especially the name of the workers and high-ranking officials of that region, and even the type of the rank they held. This helps us increase our knowledge about the collections of names of that period. In addition, through ideogram pictures, the people’s beliefs in that time can be clarified. The discovery of the seal on which is the name of Āzargušnasp is an evidence to prove the name of Āzargušnasp for Takht-e-Soleymān. Finding the names of some mints on some coins of that period is the consequence of this great discovery.