Reflection of the culture of nations in Jame-al-Towarikh

Iran's historiography has experienced one of the most brilliant periods of its life during the era of the Mughal patriarchs. This tradition of historiography is actually a mirror to show what has happened to the Iranian nation in its life, including politics, religion, language, social spheres and culture. Jami al-Tawarikh, which was written in the Muslim era of the Ilkhans, and the present research is trying to explore the cultural approach of Rashid al-Din in this work, it contains important cultural reports with the influence of the intellectual-cultural conditions of this era. In order to better understand the extent of Rashid al-Din's attention to cultural propositions, the present article with a descriptive-analytical approach and the main question: What effect did the political and social transformations of the Ilkhanate era have on the cultural approach of Rashid al-Din Fazl Hamadani? He tries to study the subject. The result of the research indicates that in Rashid al-Din's historiography, Mongolian culture, culture of different nations and peoples, Iranian culture and science and education are emphasized as the most important cultural components, and Rashid al-Din, in accordance with political and social developments, paid special attention to It has had an intellectual and cultural life.
Introduction:
Historiography of the Ilkhanate era experienced a remarkable period due to various factors, including style, content, and diversity of the works produced. It gained a special place, especially in terms of its concern for the history of different tribes and nations and what can be considered a manifestation of global historiography. The cultural aspect of Ilkhanate historiography also stands out in its own way. Among these works, Rashid al-Din Fazlullah's Jame' al-Tawarikh [Compendium of Chronicles] is especially significant, both from the perspective of a global approach and a broader cultural dimension.
Materials and Methods:
The present study was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and attempted to explain the cultural nature of Jame Al-Tawarikh, with an emphasis on the representation of cultural elements from various nations in this historiographical work. In the description stage, the data were identified and evaluated, and then the aforementioned evidence was explained in terms of the history of culture and its relationship with the history of the mentioned tribes and nations from Rashid al-Din's perspective.
Results and Discussion:
The political, social and intellectual changes that dominated the society of the Ilkhanate era, especially their conversion to Islam, prompted the historians of the Ilkhanate era to reproduce the cultural components needed by the society in the form of various genres of historiography and to extract from it a reading that suited the needs of this period. These changes paved the way for the rapprochement of East and West Asia and the interaction between Europe and Asia, and expanded trade across peoples and nations, opening new horizons in language, thought, art and architecture, science, education, and the economy. In this sense, they were important and effective in the evolution of history and historical perceptions of historians. In the meantime, Rashid al-Din Fazlullah, in terms of style and content, and more importantly, his attention to the global aspects of history, created innovations that have given him a prominent position. A large part of his comprehensive work, known as the “Five Nations”, reflects the history of the peoples and nations of the world. More importantly, he addresses their cultural aspects in the presentation of national histories. The scope of this issue is such that his historiography can be considered a distinguishing chapter in the historiographical traditions before and after him.
Conclusion:
If concepts such as language, myth, ethnic memories, common land and geography, beliefs, rituals, and religious traditions can be included as the most important dimensions under the concept of culture, it will be easier to understand the position of Iranian historiography in the Muslim era of the Ilkhans. How these cultural components permeated the minds and languages ​​of Iranian historians of this era and how they succeeded in placing the Muslim Ilkhan among the greatest defenders of this cultural-identity framework is a matter worth pondering. The comprehensive cultural aspect of Jame' al-Tawarikh also becomes relevant in this regard. Although the writing of this work also relied on the same traditions of historiography in some respects and retained certain features of earlier historiography, his critical approach, the breadth of his horizon in comparison to previous historians, his powerful position as a court official, and more importantly, his worldview, made Rashid al-Din pay more attention to the culture of different ethnicities and nations.