The Intervention of the Mongols: The extent of foreign influence
Mongols. 22 Feb. 2012. Photograph. History of Jihad. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.historyofjihad.org/mongols13.jpg>.
When the Mongols invaded the Abbasid caliphate, they destructed Iranian culture but also eventually contributed to the development of Islamic culture within Iran. The Mongols initially were responsible for the dark ages in Iran. Because Mongolian diplomats were executed when Genghis Khan sent them to establish diplomatic relationship with the Abbasids, the Mongols invaded critical areas in the caliphate, such as Bukhara, Samarkand, Heart, Tus, Nishapur and Transoxiana, burned mosques and libraries and also killed around 2.5 million men (Haugen).These damages were especially devastating because the Mongolians burnt valuable scholarly institutions and religious centers, which had allowed the Abbasid Caliphate to flourish as the center of scholarship and Islamic religion. However, the Mongols had a more positive impact on the spread of Islamic culture within the empire because Ghazan, the descendant of Genghis Khan, established the Ilkhanate’s official religion as Islam and incorporated Iranian officials, such as Rashid al-Din, an Iranian vizier in the government (Hylatzman). Because Ghazan made an effort to assimilate into the Iranian culture and respect the advancements in Iranian scholarship, he allowed individuals, both in the government and in education institutions, to thrive. As a result, the Ilkhanate was one of the most prosperous empires due to reduced taxes, increased agriculture and irrigation, and efficient and secured trade routes. Because skilled individuals from the local region participated in all parts of the empire to create a stable and well-governed state, Iran saw a rise in trade on the Silk Road, especially with China (Haugen). Because the Mongols later made an effort to understand Iranian culture and religion through assimilating themselves, they were able to understand how to create a successful empire. Thus, although the Mongolian empire destroyed Islamic civilization and culture in the initial stages of invasion in Iran, the invasion eventually proved to lead Islam to flourish as an independent culture.