Ilkhanid Architecture and Art. History Assignment.

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Ilkhanid Architecture and Art
The invasions of the Mongol of the Islamic nations started in the early 1200 century with the overthrow of eastern Iran. However, Genghis Khan’s grandson Hülegü gave one of the most devastating waves of the invasion when Mongol forces conquered Baghdad and most parts of Iran, hence terminating the Abbasid caliphate (Uljaytu 3). Formulation of policies and rules in the most parts of West Asia such as Khurasan, Iran, the Caucasus, and Iraq, as well as some regions in Asia Minor, Hülegü adopted the title of “Il-Khan” which signified lesser Khan. Lesser Khan played a subordinate role to the ruling Great Khan in China. The latter branch of the Mongol empire was famously known as the Ilkhanids whose powers were concentrated in the northwest parts of Iran (7). The Mongol period was not only characterized by diversity in matters of religion but also in artistic and cultural aspects.
Although Mongols believed and practiced shamanism, they also embraced other religious beliefs and practices for different reasons such as to enhance social and political cohesion as well as for their desires to control and bolster their spiritual life (Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation, Inc. 9). Research characterizes the century of Ilkhanid in Greater Iran by the domineering practices of Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Manichaeism, and Buddhism. However, even though Mongol invasions initially affected and brought devastation in the balance between architectural and artistic production within a short time, their control over most of the Asian countries by Pax Mongolia fostered an environment of remarkable cultural exchange (5). The conversion of Il-Khan to Islam in the late 1200 century and the subsequent establishment of a robust cultural framework to support his new religion, the Islamic architecture and art flourished again.
During Ilkhanid’s era, the elements of the East Asian embraced the exis...