The Victory of Islam over the Buddhist Religion (Reviewing the Inscriptions of the Shrine of Imamzadeh Mulla “Ma’sum” of Maragheh)

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Research objectives: The main purpose of this article is to study the Quranic inscription of the Imamzadeh Ma’sum Temple in Maragheh. This inscription shows the evolution of religious beliefs during the Ilkhanid period in Iran which started from the se­venth century AH and continued until the eighth century AH. The main religions of the Ilkhanid rulers were Buddhism and Christianity, but they gradually adopted Islam as the official religion of government. The influence of the process of conversion has left traces in some of the inscriptions of this period. Another purpose of this study is to introduce the Imamzadeh Ma’sum temple as one of the Buddhist temples in Iran. Research materials: In this study, the authors have used two methods, namely field research and library surveys. Regarding the first method, the temple of Imamzadeh Ma’sum was examined. Regarding the second method, the historical sources of the Ilkhanid period, such as the Jami’ al-tawarikh of Khajeh Rashid al-Din Faḍlullah Hamadani, were used. These works refers to the situation of Buddhists in Iran during the Ilkhanid period (i.e. the seventh century AH). Results and novelty of the research: The results of the authors’ research in this article have demonstrated that the temple of Imamzadeh Ma’sum of Maragheh was one of the Buddhist temples in Iran. This Buddhist temple was changed to an Islamic mosque after the conversion of Ghazan Khan in 694 AH. The surviving Qur’anic inscription inside the buil­ding refers to the victory of Islam over Buddhism.