Ma`rifat Adyan

Along with the invasion of Mongol soldiers and in the second period of their invasion under the command of Hulagu Khan, Buddhism entered Iran in the 7th century AH. Buddhism has three main sects: Theravada (Hinayana), Mahayana and Vajrayana. From the era of Hulagu Khan onwards, Iran has been one of the important centers for the growth and expansion of Buddhist ideas, and since many of the Mongol Ilkhanate adhered Vajrayana, they made great efforts to expand Buddhism, and in a short time, many Bakhshians, Tibetan lamas, and Buddhist monks from Tibet, Mongolia, the land of the Uighurs, and even India came to Iran. Abaqa Khan and Arghun Khan made great efforts for the spread of Buddhism. In this period, Buddhism spread a lot in Iran. A lot of research has been carried out regarding the presence and influence of Buddhism in Iran - at least in the Ilkhanate period; but this research mainly aims to analyze the effective components of Buddhism in Iranian culture in this historical period. Using descriptive-analytical method and based on a historical study, the article deals with investigating the traces of Buddhism’s concepts in the cultural works of the Ilkhanate era. The main research result shows that, throughout the history of Iran during the Ilkhanate era, the traces of Buddhism can be seen in cultural works, such as the writings of elites and scientific and literary thinkers, Sufism, temples’ architecture, and paintings, which have not a lot been taken into account by researchers. Therefore, offering clear historical documents, the research presents some examples of the effectiveness of cultural patterns, which will feature new dimensions and horizons in research on the history of religions.