FOR ALL WHO HAVE A HEART FOR MONGOLS
Thursday, 1st March 2012MONGOLIA TODAY magazine 2011.02
Organization for the study of Diaspora Mongols is presenting an excerpt from its newly published photo book about Diaspora Mongols and Mongol relics. The photo book has 10 chapters comprising 500 photos. The photo book FOR ALL WHO HAVE A HEART FOR MONGOLS is in traditional Mongolian script, Cyrillic and in English language.
We are minor researchers who have worked on a major topic. We penetrated the territory of the former Mongolian Empire for the past 9 years. Throughout this time we have gone on 30 research field trips, travelling 5300 kilometers for the shortest destination and 33,700 for the longest.
When travelling to the isolated countries separated from globalization, we had to overcome difficulties in finances, and other struggles and prohibitions. The greatest benefit we received was being eye-witnesses to the influence of Mongols on other parts of the world. We touched them with our hands and rejoiced with our hearts.
Before we could set foot in Iran, which formerly was under Mongol rule for one hundred years, we labored for three years for funds and approvals. Travelling fifteen thousand kilometers, which was half the distance for that trip, we arrived at the much dreamed of and eagerly awaited Dome of Oljietu only to find filming and photography inside was prohibited. Due to inner upheaval and religious rituals this was one more restriction on foreigners. We said, “We came from Mongolia, and this is a dome of our Khan”. With this appeal we obtained permission to photograph and make video footage for half an hour so we quickly proceeded with the work.
Cultural anthropologist Ts. Sanchir
www.tasam.mn
Cultural anthropologist Ts. Sanchir
www.tasam.mn
ILKHANATE STATE DURING THE PERIOD OF MONGOL EMPIRE, MODERN IRAN
In Iran, the central importance of Islam is emphasized in every sphere of public and private life, from the Iranian flag in whose center one can read the word “Allah” (God) written in calligraphic Arabic script to the customs regulating clothing and food, from the style of architecture to the use of religious calendars.
In ancient and medieval times, Iran constituted one of the key destinations of the “Silk Road”. The well known stations whose monuments have survived until this day are Mashhad, Nishapur, Damghan, Semnan, Tehran, Qazvin, Tabriz and the border town of Maku. The ancient cities of Shiraz and Esfahan are particularly famous for their cultural and economic role. These were under Mongol Khans’ rule. In some of them Khans decreed their commands and had their coins minted.
In 1256, Monkh Khan issued a decree to send his brother Hulegu from Kharkhorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire, to Persia (now known as Iran) in order to consolidate Mongol rule over this land and extend its borders even further.
The following one hundred years were recorded as the “Mongol period” of Iranian history, during which Chinggis Khan’s golden lineage ruled Persia.
Hulegu, the third son of Chinggis Khan’s youngest son Tului, established the Ilkhanate State , which encompassed today’s Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the sources, “Il-Khan Hulegu” is referred to as Hulaku, Hulagu, Huleg, or Holog. Kubilai Khan acclaimed Hulegu’s conquest and administration of Persia and granted him the title “Ilkhan”. Thereafter the Ilkhanate State was called after its founder “Ilkhanate of Hulegu,” or the “Mongol State in Iran.”
The territory of the Ilkhanate was bordered by the Caspian Sea (known as Hazar Sea), the Arabian Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Hulegu selected Maragheh to be the first capital of the Ilkhanate State. Later his successors relocated the capitals to bigger cities along the “Silk Road,” such as Tabriz and Soltaniyeh.
The sources emphasize that the successors of Hulegu, such as Abagha, Ghazan, Oljietu and Abu Sa’id, played key roles in the history of the Ilkhanate State.
The former Ilkhanate State capitals and cities, settlements and museums in every province of Iran contain a vast number of historical relics from the “Mongol period.”
During these one hundred years of reign in Persia, nomadic Mongol wisdom, policy and instructions introduced substantial reforms in Iranian administration, society, history, culture and science as well as in architecture and decorative art.
High-carat gold and silver coins, with Tului’s trident clan seal and bearing inscriptions written in Mongolian Phags-pa script like “Great Khagan Monkh”, “Great Khagan Hulegu”, “Under the power of sky Ghazan struck”, and “Arghun struck in the name of Khan,” were used for trade in and beyond the territory of IlKhanate State. Ilkhan Gaykhatu was the first to introduce paper money to the Middle East. Artists and craftsmen depicted the portraits of Mongol khans with diagonally-cross-over fastening dels. The first observatory was established by Hulegu Khan. All this evidence demonstrates that the “Mongol period” was the “Golden Era” of Iranian art.
The Ilkhans patronized urban construction and the making of weapons and handicrafts. Silversmiths from invaded countries were spared and ordered to contribute their talents for building cities and domes. As a result, architecture in Persia underwent a revival.
Decorative art enriched with Mongol patterns, style, and composition began to appear in the ceiling of mausoleums of khans and queens, and became intertwined with Arabic and Persian calligraphy in the mosques. It is still vivid in Iranian architecture today.
The “mausoleum of Oljietu” is 53 meters high and the diameter of the dome is 25.5 meters. This three-story building has octagonal walls, which consist of 4 large and 4 small minarets. The dome was built on the octagonal walls and it weighs 200 tons and covers 50 square meters. The dome of this outstanding building resembles a ger (a traditional Mongol yurt), and has arch-shaped doors and window frames.
Windows and doors on each floor were decorated with varying unique patterns. Mongolian decorative patterns including meanders, swastikas, eternity patterns, happiness knots, volute scrolls and various corner patterns, all interlaced in Middle Eastern style. This gives them a distinct look. The interior and exterior are adorned with blue mosaic and faience.
Today Iranians call this city “Soltaniyeh”. In Persian, Oljietu Khan is referred to as “Sultan Oljietu”. Later, according to the Mongol custom of refraining from calling by name, the khan’s name was omitted and the city was simply called “Soltaniyeh”. Both the mausoleum and the town still bear the name “Soltaniyeh”.
Mongol Khans, particularly the Ilkhans, generously patronized architecture. Under their rule, Persia witnessed a revival in architecture. Craftsmen from all countries brought their own style in architecture and decorative art, creating a new eclectic style that caused Iranian architecture to reach a new high point. Soltaniyeh or the “Dome of Oljietu” is one of the outstanding examples demonstrating that the nomadic Mongols were not only invaders and destroyers but also creators of valuable legacies in the culture and science of the societies they ruled over.