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The Art of the Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353)
Frieze tile with phoenix [Iran (probably Takht-i Sulayman)] Leaf from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) [Iraq or Iran] Double-page colophon (left side) from the Anonymous Baghdad Qur’an [Iraq, Baghdad] Isfandiyar's Funeral Procession: From the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings) [Iran, probably Tabriz] Mihrab [Isfahan, Iran] Basin [Western Iran]


Ilkhanid period and Iran, 1256–1353

The shaded portion indicates the Ilkhanid period in Iran, 1256–1353.
Ruins of the summer palace at Takht-i Sulayiman, ca. 1275. Ruins of the summer palace at Takht-i Sulayiman, ca. 1275.
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Mausoleum of Sultan Uljaytu in Sultaniyya, 1307–13. Mausoleum of Sultan Uljaytu in Sultaniyya, 1307–13.
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Detail of one of the vaults of the upper gallery, Mausoleum of Sultan Uljaytu, Sultaniyya. Detail of one of the vaults of the upper gallery, Mausoleum of Sultan Uljaytu, Sultaniyya.
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Dome over the tomb of the shrine of <sup>c</sup>Abd al-Samad at Natanz, 1307. Dome over the tomb of the shrine of cAbd al-Samad at Natanz, 1307.
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The Mongol invasions of the Islamic world began in 1221 with the conquest of eastern Iran. A more devastating wave of conquest, however, came with Genghis Khan's grandson Hülegü, when Mongol forces subjugated all of Iran and by 1258 had also taken Baghdad, thus bringing to an end the cAbbasid caliphate (750–1258). Establishing rule over most of West Asia, including Iraq, Iran, Khorasan, the Caucasus, and parts of Asia Minor, Hülegü (r. 1256–65) assumed the title of "Il-Khan," meaning lesser Khan, subordinate to the Great Khan ruling in China. This branch of the Mongol dynasty, which became known as the Ilkhanids (1256–1353), centered its power in northwest Iran.

Although Mongol conquests initially brought devastation and affected the balance of artistic production, in a short period of time, the control of most of Asia by the Mongols—the so-called Pax Mongolica—created an environment of tremendous cultural exchange. Following the conversion to Islam of the Il-Khan Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) in 1295 and the establishment of his active cultural policy in support of his new religion, Islamic art flourished once again. East Asian elements absorbed into the existing Perso-Islamic repertoire created a new artistic vocabulary, one that was emulated from Anatolia to India, profoundly affecting artistic production.

During the Ilkhanid period, the decorative arts—textiles, pottery, metalwork, jewelry, and manuscript illumination and illustration—continued along and further developed established lines. The arts of the book, however, including illuminated and illustrated manuscripts of religious and secular texts, became a major focus of artistic production. Baghdad became an important center once again. In illustration, new ideas and motifs were introduced into the repertoire of the Muslim artist, including an altered and more Chinese depiction of pictorial space, as well as motifs such as lotuses and peonies, cloud bands, and dragons and phoenixes. Popular subjects, also sponsored by the court, included well-known stories such as the Shahnama (Book of Kings), the famous Persian epic. Furthermore, the widespread use of paper and textiles also enabled new designs to be readily transferred from one medium to another.

Along with their renown in the arts, the Ilkhanids were also great builders. The lavishly decorated Ilkhanid summer palace at Takht-i Sulayman (ca. 1275), a site with pre-Islamic Iranian resonances, is an important example of secular architecture. The outstanding Tomb of Uljaytu (built 1307–13; r. 1304–16) in Sultaniyya, however, is the architectural masterpiece of the period. Following their conversion to Islam, the Ilkhanids built numerous mosques and Sufi shrines in cities across Iran such as Ardabil, Isfahan, Natanz, Tabriz, Varamin, and Yazd (ca. 1300–1350). After the death of the last Ilkhanid ruler of the united dynasty in 1335, the empire disintegrated and a number of local dynasties came to power in Iraq and Iran, each emulating the style set by the Ilkhanids.


West Asia, Iran, Book, Manuscript, Religious Art, Islam, Islamic World, Book, Manuscript, Islamic, Islamic Art in the Medieval Period

Department of Islamic Art

The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period, Ayyubid Period, Abbasid Period, Calligraphy in Islamic Art, Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids, Figural Representation in Islamic Art, Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings), Folios from the Jami' al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles), Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art, The Legacy of Genghis Khan, The Mamluk Period, The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period, The Nature of Islamic Art, A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia, The Ottoman Empire after 1600, The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids, Seljuq Period in Anatolia, Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art, Abridged List of Rulers: Islamic World,

Anatolia and Caucasus, 1000-1400 A.D., The Eastern Mediterranean, 1000-1400 A.D., Iran, 1000-1400 A.D., Iran, 1400-1600 A.D., Iraq, 1000-1400 A.D., Iraq, 1400-1600 A.D.,

West Asia, 1000-1400 A.D., West Asia, 1400-1600 A.D.