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A soft smell of sulfur hit my nose like a veil from the earth core coming to the ground as I climbed up the small mount of Zendan-e-Soleyman. The thick snow surrounding the mountain and apparent absence of movement created a sense of profound remoteness. I travelled in Iran for more than a year, but mainly to major towns, and I had been fighting my hesitation to go to visit more remote places as there are a few hindrances a foreign faces in Iran. However, many remarkable places in Iran are off the beaten track. Takht-é-Soleyman and Zendan-é-Soleyman are not just a group of remote ruins; their historical relevance stretches up to our days and even touches major religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity alike. There are many tales about this complex. Zendan-é-Soleyman is believed to be the place where King Solomon would trap evil spirits. A small volcanic conical void core mount, it was crowned by a temple in pre-historical times circling the 65-meter crater. The little volcano, still active, has the ruins of the Median temple. The Medians professed a pre-Zoroastrian religion known as Mazdaism. With the advent of Zarathustra, Mazdaism evolved to Zoroastrianism and determined the construction of Takht-é-Soleyman around the artesian lake 3 kms from Zendan-é-Soleyman. The artesian lake inside the fortification is traditionally believed to be created by King Solomon. Around it, there are the remains of a large fortified citadel which features the remains of a Zoroastrian temple that hosted 1 of the 3 Royal Fires of the Sassanid. “It’s believed that Solomon, Zarathustra ans Jesus were here,” my travel companion told me while strolling around the citadel. “It’s relevant to all religions and it marks the beginning of the monotheist temples, all a replica of the original Zoroastrian temples” he added. “Very few,” he mentioned proudly “are aware that all three major religions nowadays had their origins in Iran. We are all Zoroastrians in the end.” The sulfur we were breathing added a sense of urgency. The magnificence of nature around the citadel made me think of the fragility of humanity and its civilizations. It was the most remote place I had been to in Iran, and made me think of all the beautiful places I could be missing. The snowy paths had only our footsteps; we played like children in the snow, while listening to the sound of the winds. The rays of sun faded and the sun set quite rapidly, leaving the pond with a dark blue color.