چكيده لاتين
The present study, entitled “The Role of Iranian Figures in Political and Cultural Transformations during the Fatimid Caliphate of al-Mustansir Billah (427–487 AH)”, analyzes the position and influence of Iranian elites within the structure of the Fatimid caliphate and the Ismaili daʿwa. The caliphate of al-Mustansir Billah was the longest and most complex period of Fatimid rule, during which extensive political, social, and cultural developments occurred across the Fatimid domains, particularly in the eastern regions of the Islamic world. Within this context, Iranian figures, with their scholarly and political backgrounds, played a fundamental role in shaping the trajectory of the Ismaili daʿwa and consolidating the authority of the caliphate.
This research was conducted with the aim of explaining the role of Iranian political and cultural figures and examining the position of Ismaili leaders based in Iran. Its central questions focus on what role Iranian figures played in politics and culture, and how they were able, through interaction with the Fatimid caliphate, to influence political and cultural processes. The study assumes that Iranian figures were not only active in the political transformations of this period, but also contributed significantly in the cultural sphere, particularly through their participation in the Ismaili organization and the Dār al-ʿIlm of Cairo, thereby reinforcing the legitimacy of the Fatimid caliphate. Moreover, the interaction of Iranian Ismaili leaders with the Fatimid center demonstrates both their dependence on Fatimid structures and their independent role in regional developments.
The findings of the study reveal that, in the political domain, figures such as ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿAttāsh and Hasan Sabbah organized networks of daʿwa and established the fortress of Alamut, thereby initiating the Nizari movement. In the cultural domain, al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī and Nasir Khusraw, through their scholarly and philosophical writings, contributed to the consolidation of the cultural identity of Iranian Ismailis and to the legitimacy of the Fatimid caliphate. These results highlight the prominent position of Iranian elites in the political and cultural transformations of al-Mustansir Billah’s caliphate.
