The Iranian Deathstar, the Oljaytu Mausoleum

Unlike the Star Wars version, this massive structure levitates out of a vast plain and even seems to dominate the mountains in the distance, like a bricked-out Mongol tent in the middle of Persia that even Luke Skywalker might have trouble with. Twenty-five meters of solid domed brick crown the immense Oljaytu Mausoleum, whose construction began back in 1302. Its ingenious design gave birth to the Duomo in Florence and some would say had a hand in sparking the Renaissance. All this was spawned by a somewhat capricious Mongol benefactor who dabbled in Christianity, Buddhism, and various conversions between Shiite and Sunni Islam. Who said mixing things up a little was a bad thing after all?

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Originally published on Trazzler