History of Religious Developments in Qazvin From the Beginning of the Muslim Arab's Conquests to the Rise of the Safavids

Among the provinces and cities of Iran, Qazvin has been very important in terms of the history of religious developments, and Zoroastrians, Mazdakians and followers of Judaism and Christianity have been there since a long time ago. The main issue of the present research is how Qazvin became Islamized. The ongoing research was conducted by a historical method and by a descriptive-analytical approach, and based on that, it becomes clear that the Zoroastrians in Qazvin, who first had professed Islam only because they refused to pay jizya, rebelled against the conquerors at the first possible opportunity; but then the city was conquered by the Arab Muslims for the second time and this time was opened by violence. However, many Zoroastrians were still following their religion there, as they were able to perform their religious ceremonies until the end of the third century of Hijri. In the Islamic period, up to the 6th century, along with the Shi'ite minority, the majority of Qazvin Muslims followed the Shafi'i cult. The occasional presences of the Isma'ilis as well as the 'Alevis and the Boyeh in Qazvin have also had some effects on the religious tendencies in Qazvin.