Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

After the Parthian dynasty and the lack of a formal religion in the country, the Sassanid dynasty, as the hereditary caretakers of fire temples, focused on establishing and expanding the Zoroastrian religion. Also, with the weakening of the Parthian Dynasty, the Sassanians took advantage of the lack of central power. Thus, Ardashir I established a powerful central government by defeating Arthabanus. Khvarenah (the extraordinary power granted by God to the king) was a concepts which had attracted the Achaemenid kings, but during the early Sassanid era, Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, integrated religion and politics to legitimize his kingdom and introduced himself as the successor of God on the earth. This idea turned into people’s belief, and the mindset prevailed for centuries even after the advent of Islam. In this study, the researcher seeks to understand the popular belief about the integration of religion and politics from the Sassanid period to the early Islamic era.