Lion and sun emblem 2400 years ago, during the reign of Artaxerxes II.

Many people think that lion and sun represents Islam and the Shia imam Ali, but they are completely wrong. The lion and sun has nothing to do with Islam, it is actually of Zoroastrian origin. The oldest sign of Lion and sun dates back to the Zoroastrian Achaemenid dynasty 2,400 years ago. On the photo below you can see Artaxerxes II standing next to the Zoroastrian goddess Anahita who is riding a lion. The sun shining behind Anahita and her lion represents the Zoroastrian godess Mithra. Therefore, the Lion and Sun emblem can not be Islamic since it was used 1,200 years before Islam existed.