THE HISTORY OF ISLAMIC CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
Year:2019 | Volume:9 | Issue:33 |Papers Count:6

After its formation in the early 16th century (10th century A. H. ), the Safavid Shia government needed an organized, efficient, and capable system of education to consolidate its rule and to express the principles of its legitimate authority. This system could also help the government to meet its political and religious goals in the geographical context of Iran. This education system in the Safavid government was established based on the religious teachings of Twelver Shias and had many scientific, educational, and civil achievements leading to a glorious period during the advancement of Islamic culture and civilization. The main purpose of this research is to study the achievements of the Imamiah education system in the Safavid period. It uses a descriptive-analytical method and draws on the original sources of the Safavid era. The findings showed that the education system based on the teachings of the Shia Imamiah had an influential role in the advancement and expansion of different sciences. It also helped promoting and confirming the Shia thoughts in the society of that time.

The science of astronomy in Iran, like some other places in the world, has a long history. According to the internal accounts and the travelogues of the European tourists, astronomy was one of the most noted sciences for the Safavid government, and was influential in all affairs including governmental and military affairs, celebrations, and mourning ceremonies. This study uses a descriptive-analytical method relying on the primary historical sources and the travelogues of the European tourists to examine the distance between the Iranian astronomy and the scientific revolution during the Safavid rule. The study is looking to answer the question of “ What was the relationship between the Iranian astronomy and the astronomical revolution in the Safavid period? ” The findings of the research showed that in the Safavid period, significant political and religious changes happened in Iran. However, not all the aspects of the Iranian lifestyle changed or developed. Astronomy in the Safavid period did not undergo any significant changes contemporary with the European scientific revolution in astronomy. In fact, it was a continuation of the Islamic and Iranian astronomy traditions from the previous centuries.

With the expansion of territories, great amounts of Persian, Coptic, and Greek coins entered the Islamic countries. These coins were different in terms of weight, purity, images, and carvings. Some of the Khalifs and Muslim rulers made efforts to Arabicize and organize these coins. The peak of these actions was during the rule of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (65-86 A. H. /684-705 AD). At this time, some coins such as Dinar, Dirham, and Follis were Arabicized and corrected. Identical coinage and Arabicizing them were the results of this correction movement. This process was influenced by the financial and economic factors to increase the government revenues and prevent the forging of the gold coins. Elimination of Islamic society's dependence on Iranian and Byzantine coins was among the political factors. Paying Zakat, Khums and blood money with complete and unhurt coins was among the religious factors. This study tries to examine the process of Arabicizing and the influential factors, causes, and consequences related to this phenomenon.

The shrine of Imamzade Hamze is part of the Abd Al-Azim complex in the Town of Rey and has a collection of decorations such as the inscriptions. In addition to their religious values, they are considered as important sources for studying the process of changes in the Nastaliq script because of the different methods of drawing the words on the paper. This research, using archival-field sources and an observational-descriptive method, answers the question of “ What form features do the Nastaliq calligraphic inscriptions by Muhammad Ibrahim Tehrani in the shrine of Imamzade Hamze have? ” The findings showed that from the executive perspective, in addition to the form features of the second Qajar period that were preludes to the third Qajar period (including the changes of coordinates and relative compactness in the form of alphabets and words), the inscriptions shared some of the features of the Safavid calligraphic style like the attachment of some detached alphabets to the alphabet that makes the sound of “ e” . These inscriptions had two-folded contents: praising the great religious figures or the monarchs. They were also important for investigating the calligraphic changes because they were executed by Muhammad Ibrahim Tehrani himself.

Recognition of the Zaydis’ beliefs in Mahdi in the third century (A. H. ) is the topic of the current paper. The authors attempt to discuss and analyze the most important aspects of the beliefs in Mahdi among the Zaydis in this period. The belief in Mahdi was especially useful in Zaydi revolts and in the conception of some key concepts in the Mahdaviyat field. It seems that with the appearance of some characters like Muhammad Ibn-Qasim (219 A. H. ) and Yahya Ibn-Omar (250 A. H. ), the school of Mahdaviyat thought experienced a new era among the Zaydis. Believing in occultation, specifically the long-term one, and paying special attention to the signs of his return are prominent characteristics of this period. By using different credible sources and presenting evidence-based analyses, this study attempts to portray an image of the elements of Zaydis’ beliefs in Mahdi in the third century (A. H. ). The interactions of the Zaydis with other groups believing in the promised day of return (Mo’ ud) can be a topic for further valuable researches.

Due to the plurality of the rulers’ religions, many of the religious miniatures in the hand-written copies at the beginning of the Ilkhanate period contained subjects relating to the prophets and different religions. In the second half of the Ilkhanate period, a new wave of Shi’ ism appeared among the rulers that matched with their political and governmental intentions and thoughts. The question is, "How has the art of miniature been influential in the advancement of the Ilkhanate goals for legitimizing their rule in Iran? Data was collected using archival documents and the method of research was descriptive-analytical. The analyses have been done using the methods of content analysis and comparison. The aim of this article is to study the features and Shia contents in the Ilkhanid miniature School (The first Tabriz or Roshdiyeh) and to clarify the relationship between the Ilkhanate’ s legitimate government and Shia miniature. Based on the findings of the research, the political, social, and religious inclinations and ideas of the Ilkhanate rulers appeared in the miniatures of the Prophet, Imams, al-Qadir Traditions, the event of Mubahala, and wars at the beginning of Islamic period. They were available in the copies of Jami al-Tawarikh and Assar al-Baghieh with a Shia motif, and were influential in legitimizing the Ilkhanate government.