The Role and Function of the Art of Miniature in the Religious Legitimacy of the Ilkhanate Government with an Emphasis on the Shia Symbols in the Miniatures of Rashidi’s Jami al-Tawarikh and Biruni’s Assar al-Baghieh

Due to the plurality of the rulers’ religions, many of the religious miniatures in the hand-written copies at the beginning of the Ilkhanate period contained subjects relating to the prophets and different religions. In the second half of the Ilkhanate period, a new wave of Shi’ism appeared among the rulers that matched with their political and governmental intentions and thoughts. The question is, "How has the art of miniature been influential in the advancement of the Ilkhanate goals for legitimizing their rule in Iran? Data was collected using archival documents and the method of research was descriptive-analytical. The analyses have been done using the methods of content analysis and comparison. The aim of this article is to study the features and Shia contents in the Ilkhanid miniature School (The first Tabriz or Roshdiyeh) and to clarify the relationship between the Ilkhanate’s legitimate government and Shia miniature. Based on the findings of the research, the political, social, and religious inclinations and ideas of the Ilkhanate rulers appeared in the miniatures of the Prophet, Imams, al-Qadir Traditions, the event of Mubahala, and wars at the beginning of Islamic period. They were available in the copies of Jami al-Tawarikh and Assar al-Baghieh with a Shia motif, and were influential in legitimizing the Ilkhanate government.