Social and Cultural Heritage of Murshidia in the City Of Khonj and Its Southern Regions (Seventh and Eighth Century Ah)

Khonj, a region in southern part of Fars, is considered as a stopover of the Persian Gulf beach. In the seventh century AH, a branch of Murshidia was founded there by Sheikh Rokn-O-Din Danial Khonji, causing widespread developments in this area and south of the Fars province. Murshidia was initially founded by Shaikh abu Ishaq Kazaroni in Kazeroun, in the second half of the 4th century AH, and extended to most parts of Iran till the early nineteenth-century AD; and especially to Khonj, as an evidence of the flourishing and influential era of this trend. In this regard, the present article with a descriptive analytical method, investigate the effects of Murshidia followers on the cultural, social, and historical life of the city of Khonj. The cultural and social context of this city is being explored to explain the influence of Murshidia on the region. By studying the natural and cultural geography of the city, it is concluded that the strong social status of the Sufis, belief in the spirituality of Sheikh Abu Isaq Kazerouni, provision of social services, support of the rulers and being placed on the business road are among the effective reasons in development of Murshidia's tradition in Khonj. These reasons made a background for the important influences of the disciples on the cultural and historical life of this region.