Iranian Identity and Local Historiography (The Beginning of Islam until the Seventh Century A.H)

Identity is one of the most complex concepts of Social Sciences. Putting forthdiscussions on origins, ways of development and continuity of macro collective identities like National and Historical ones,has added to its complexity. Thus, it is advisible to have a special look at historical data in all its branches including local historiography while analysing and surveying new approaches to the issue of Identity. Being inspired by elements of Iranian Identity and to maintain their regional legacies,local historiographers during the first centuries of Islam have appealed to creating works in the field of local histories many of which enjoy native and local features and are directly linked to Iran's history. In a morphological look at them,they can be divided into Casts',Graves' and Tribes' local histories. Through paying attention to historical aspects of Identity, this paper aims areviewing the issue of Iranian Identity and historiography on the basis of written local histories from the very begining of Islam up to the 14th century. While evaluating identity features in them,we can search for the process of Iran's territorial,political and cultural continuity from one side and determine the role and place of local historiography as a crucial branch of Iranian-Islamic historiography from the other.