Restoration of the Concept of Iran in Hamedani's Jame'utavarikh

The formation of the first monarchical dynasty in Iran, the Medes,repared the grounds for the emergence of a political, social and geographical being based on territory, geography, and government, which became expressly manifest as Iran and Iranshahr (Iranian state) during the Sasanid era. The collapse of the Sasanid dynasty in effect dissolved this independent entity in a totality called Dar ul Islam or Islamic ummah. Although the Iranian identity continued to prosper within the framework of cultural and lingual features, the Iranian elements from the early centuries of the Islamic period created serious challenges when they tried for the independence and restoration of the Iranian entity. The collapse of the Abbasid dynasty and formation of the Ilkhanid government prepared the grounds for the restoration of the concept of Iran and Iranshahr. Rashiduddin Fazlullah Hamedani, a renowned bureaucrat of the  Ilkhanid era, played a significant role in the restoration of the concept of Iran. He spared no efforts to elaborate on the issue from theoretical and practical points of view. The present article is an attempt to review his scholarly work, Jame' ul Tavarikh, to shed light on his efforts for the restoration of the concept of Iran as a state.