The beliefs of the people of Kerman about the historical structure of Jabalieh cannot be considered entirely real. They say that the materials used in this structure are camel’s milk, ash, and egg white, which is why it is so stable that it cannot be destroyed. Indeed, Jabalieh is a standing structure not far from a mystery, with different views about it.
Jabalieh’s dome is mysterious. This is because the historical knowledge of archaeologists about it is mixed with speculation. No one knows what Jabalieh was built for. Some consider it a remnant of a Sasanian fire temple; some think it was a Zoroastrian cemetery that was destroyed in a flood, in the past centuries; Some consider it to be the tomb of one of the mystics named Pir Morad, and some even go so far as to think that Jabalieh is a Buddhist temple that was built during the Mongol conquest of Iran (7th century AD). There needs to be a valid document for these hypotheses. However, among the hypotheses (which we will discuss further), it may be possible to give th 5th century (1000 years ago, coinciding with the Buyid dynasty of Kerman) as an estimate for the year of its construction.
Other information about Jabalieh dome
This beautiful structure is located east of Kerman, a short distance from the mountain and the forest of cypress and pine. This dome is given several names, like Jabaliah dome, Zig dome, and Ganj dome. The most interesting feature of this structure is that it is made entirely of stone, and therefore sometimes called “stone mountain (Jabal).
We mentioned earlier that the most accurate date for the construction of the Jabalieh dome is the 5th century. However, not all archaeologists and historians believe this to be true. The first person who tried to get a correct date for the construction time of Jabalieh was “Sir Percy Molesworth Sykes,” an English political agent and geographer who spent many years in Iran during the Qajar era and researched the history of Iran. He was the British consul general and the police commander of southern Iran. Sykes considered Jabalieh a Zoroastrian structure, but he writes that the exact date of its construction has yet to be discovered.
Eric Schröder, the author of the book “Masterpieces of Iranian Art,” in the 1310s studied the Jabalieh structure. He wrote that it was built in the 5th century and remained unfinished. It is the oldest double-walled dome of Iran. However, some archaeologists consider the Soltanieh dome in Zanjan (built in the 8th century) the oldest double dome in Iran and the world. Andre Godar, a famous archaeologist, believed that the Jabaliya dome was built in the Seljuk period (6th century), and Arthur Pope, a historian, considered it a 7th-century structure. But Bastani Parisi has listed Jabalieh as a structure built in the ancient era of Iran and among the Zoroastrian monuments of Kerman. Alireza Anisi, an associate professor at the Cultural Heritage Research Institute, who has conducted extensive research on the Jabalieh Dome, writes in his research paper that this structure was built during the Buyid period (in the fifth lunar century). He has cited ancient writings to prove his point.
In any case, the Jabalieh dome is an octagonal structure made with stone and plaster mortar. A beautiful dome can be noticed on top of it. Two doors facing each other can be seen in this structure, now closed in the northern part of Jabalieh. The mentioned structure has plastering’s that have disappeared due to the passage of time. Its interior is simple and does not have any special array.
The dome of Jabalieh is rare in its beauty. Seeing it may remind us of Zanjan’s Soltanieh dome, but it is much more mysterious than that charming structure. Jabalieh is an outstanding example of the architectural art of the historical city of Kerman and one of the centuries-old relics of its land.
