Recognizing the Factors Affecting the Ambiguity in the Dating of the Religious Monuments of the Seventh and Eighth Centuries A.H.

The most important element in knowing the identity of any building is its history. The history of a building means knowing the building in its historical context so that it can be fully understood in terms of its formation. It is, therefore, important to know the historical origins of any building and the period in which it was shaped and changed. A review of what is known about the historical origins of Iran's religious monuments, especially according to the records written in the 7th and 8th centuries A.H., shows that scholars who have been active in this field, despite their efforts, lack a deep knowledge of the geographical-natural context of Iran on the one hand and the socio-political-religious events on the other hand. The results of their studies are associated with errors. So, there is a lot of ambiguity about the factors involved in the dating of the 7th and 8th centuries A.H. buildings and the effects of the social, religious, and political developments of the Ilkhanid period on the physical changes in the religious buildings of this period. The present study seeks to identify the factors that have influenced the dating of the works of the seventh and eighth centuries A.H. by analyzing numerous instances. It also seeks to identify the relationship between physical changes and the political, social, and religious changes that took place during the Ilkhanid period. The analyses are conducted based on physical, documentary and historical studies. The results of the study show that most of the errors are induced by changes in the structures of this period, either in the spatial organization of buildings, the incorporation of decorations in later periods, or the use of various inscriptions in buildings. It can be said that the changes have mostly occurred with political-religious motives. The series of events that took place during the Ilkhanid era, from the beginning to the end, can be summarized in five waves. They include architectural dependency, the era of beginning and transformation, the period between transition and independence, the period of independence and production, and the period of isolation. The religious beliefs of the rulers also differed in each of these waves. From the Buddhist and Shamanic beliefs to the various forms of Islamic belief, each has an impact on the religious structure of this period. Finally, the factors influencing the ambiguity in the dating of the buildings in this period include a) the route of the Mongols' movement and the destruction of cities as the main factor affecting the construction and production technologies of this period abd b) the socio-political and religious changes of rulers and their impacts on the construction of buildings constructed. These factors have jointly caused inconsistencies in the decoration, motifs and inscriptions of the building during this period.