Geographical identity evolution from Iranshahr-centered to Mecca-centered in geographic texts of the 3rd-5th centuries AH

One of the most obvious manifestations of the change in Iranian's attitude from territorial identity towards religious identity can be seen in the course of geographic Mapping of geographic texts' authors during the 3rd-5th centuries. Using historical methods, and based on theoretical foundations such as "intertextual study", as well as exploring the role of "worldview" of geographers in this evolutionary process, the present research attempts to study these writings in the intended centuries. The results of the research in geographic texts indicate that the concept of identity has changed from aspect of the land in the third century AH to the religious and spiritual aspects in the fourth and fifth centuries AH. Thus, geographers in the 3rd century AH emphasizing the geography of Iranshahr (Asōristān) or the current area of Iraq and Iran, considered it as the most important territory among the seven domains and assigned the highest position of description to that region. However, with the beginning of the fourth century AH and simultaneously with the spread of Islam and the growth of Islamic religious trends, as well as ruling of the Turkish dynasties of consensus with the caliphate system; Mecca and the land of revelation became more important in the name of holiness. Therefore, the comparison of the geographical texts from the 3rd to the 5th centuries indicates an evolutionary trend of the geographic thought from "Iranshahr-centered" toward "Mecca- centered". In fact, as a kind of declining national and territorial self-consciousness, Iranshahr-centered thinking related to third century was no longer possible to survive in the fourth and fifth centuries AH, and eventually gave its place to the "Mecca-centered" Islamic perspective.