A Study of the Troglodytic Architecture of Varjuy Rocky Temple in Maragheh, with a Special Look at Architectural Decorations

The Varjuy rocky temple is one of the prominent buildings with religious purposes and troglodytic architecture on the slopes of Sahand volcanic mountain. It is located in Varjuy village, Maragheh City, East Azerbaijan Province. Verjui Village is located Varouy in the vernacular. The name “Varouy” is composed of two words of “var” with the meaning of sun and “ouy” with the meaning of house in Turkish. So, the name “Varouy” means the house of sun. This name plays a key role in understanding the meaning of this valuable Varjuy complex. Maragheh City was one of the most important cities in Azerbaijan during the Seljuk period. As the first capital of the Il-Khanid (or Mongol) dynasty, this city played a key role in the developments of that era. Maragheh city, with an area of about 5388 km2, is located on the southern slopes of Sahand Mountain in East Azerbaijan Province. It is located in 130 km of Tabriz and limited to Tabriz city from the north, Hashtrood City from the east, Urmia Lake from the west and Miandoab City from the south.