Dynamics of the Iranian Renaissance (9th and 13th Centuries CE)

Document Type : Conference Paper

Author

Department of History of Medicine School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The Iranian Renaissance, spanning approximately between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, constituted a prominent phase of cultural and scientific efflorescence in Iranian history, emerging in the aftermath of the Baghdad Translation Movement within the domains of the Samanids, Buyids, and Ghaznavids (Frye, 1975, pp. 220-225). The Iranian Renaissance can be divided into two parts: the Foundational Phase (3rd–4th centuries AH / 9th–11th centuries CE) and the Era of Elite Schools (5th–7th centuries AH / 11th–13th centuries CE). This text will primarily concentrate on the initial segment of this Renaissance. This era was forged through the interplay of several key dynamics, including relative political-geographical stability, sustainable management of water and agricultural resources, absorption and indigenization of antecedent knowledge, revival of the Persian language, expansion of commercial and knowledge networks, patronage by rulers and viziers, and cultural integration of non-Arab ethnic groups alongside interactions with declining centers in Baghdad. Iran’s emergent identity and scientific autonomy occasionally engendered tensions with the Arab-centric inclinations of the Abbasid Caliphate, yet these did not impede the Renaissance. Employing an interdisciplinary historical-systemic approach, this study investigates the processes of formation, sustainability, and transmission of this civilizational experience, modeling it as a “civilizational ecosystem.”
 

Keywords

References

  1. Al-Biruni, A., 1954. Al-Qanun al-Mas‘udi. Hyderabad: Osmania Oriental Publications.
  2. Frye, R.N., 1975. The Golden Age of Persia. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
  3. Mahlooji, K., and Abdoli, M., 2018. The Critique Theory of “The Incompatibility of the Translation Movement from Beit-al-Hikmah” in the Book of “Greek Thought and Arabic Culture” by Dimitri Gutas. JRHM, 7(4), pp. 209-216.‏
  4. Nasr, S.H., 1968. Science and Civilization in Islam. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  5. Tabari, M.J., 1973. History of the Prophets and Kings (Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk). Translated by Payandeh A. Vol. 16. Tehran: Asatir Publications.
Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 14, Suppl. 1
The 2nd History of Medicine Meeting: Entangled Histories: Contribution of Iran and Türkiye to the Development of Medical Sciences; 2025 Oct 7-10; Shiraz, Iran
October 2025
Pages 113-116

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics