Constructing Identity Through Conquest: The Case of the Mongol Ilkhanate in the Middle East

The Mongol Empire ruled the world in the 13th Century, yet their conquest did not necessarily eradicate the culture of the regions they conquered, especially in the Middle East. The Mongol Conquest of the Middle East and the establishment of the Mongol Ilkhanate required a new identity to justify their authority. Rather than forcing their own culture on the conquered Iranians, the Mongols adopted two elements of the Middle East into their own identity: ancient Iranian kingship and Islamic legitimacy. This unique construction of cultural identity gave birth to the very new identity that was the Ilkhanid kingship. The Ilkhanate thus promoted this new identity through literature, art, and architecture. The hybrid nature of the Ilkhanid identity shows how identity in the Middle East was being constructed by the Mongol Ilkhans artificially to justify and maintain their authority in the Middle East, shedding light on how power structures often shape the identity of society and culture through artificial means.