پژوهش های تاریخی (Jun 2022)
Analysis of the Influence of Arabs on Iranian Customs (Case Study: Recreation, Food, and Clothing)
Abstract
Abstract With its rich cultural and civilizational background, Iran has always interacted with cultures that have had a great impact on other lands, cultures, and civilizations. In this regard, Iranian customs and traditions have influenced the culture, traditions, and customs of the Arabs in various ways. Therefore, with a descriptive-analytical approach based on library data and Wilhelm Schmidt’s concept of cultural dissemination, this research sought to find an answer to the question of how the Arabs adapted Iranian customs and came under the influence of Iranian customs and traditions, especially in the fields of entertainment, food, and clothing. The findings of this study showed that the richness of Iranian culture, geographical proximity, court relations, and sometimes war caused the Arabs in general and the caliphs in particular to adapt items, such as entertainment, food, and clothing from Iranian customs and traditions. This cultural spread, which was associated with communication and desire, gradually created new customs and traditions to replace the older ones. In this process, the useful elements of the borrowing culture might be lost and the strengths of the dominant culture might be adapted by the adapting culture, thus correcting its weaknesses. Introduction After the conquest of Iran, the Arab community confronted a systematic and complex set of governments. However, their temperaments and habits of living in the desert did not agree with the government and court customs. After the conquest of civilized lands, especially Iran, they were influenced by the Iranian kings’ special customs. They passed through the simple lifestyle of Sheikhin's time and turned to the glory of Khosravan court of Iran. The caliphate became so similar to the Iranians both in terms of customs and culture and their court that Iran’s titles, customs, and culture penetrated into their lives. This encouraged the author to explore the theory of cultural dissemination presented by Wilhelm Schmidt, who was a German anthropologist, through a descriptive-analytical research by using library data based on the first and second categories of sources. The most important question in this study was how the Arabs were influenced by the Iranian people’s customs and traditions, especially in the field of entertainment and if food and clothing were included in this process. The richness of Iranian culture, geographical proximity, trade, court relations, and sometimes war caused this cultural spread to take place willingly and gradually. Materials and Methods In this research, library, documentary, and field study methods were applied to analyze the influence of Arabs on Iranian customs. To this goal, the researcher used the private unclassified documents obtained from local informants and through interviews with them. Discussion, Results, and Conclusion In all societies, the spread of cultures has been influenced by two factors, "desire" and "communication", which are more influenced by each other when cultures are associated with geographical proximity, trade, court relations, war. A culture is more adapted that offers better solutions to problems and better cultural tools. The findings of this study showed the influences of Iranian culture and traditions on the Arabs and how they adapted these customs and traditions based on the spread of cultures due to geographical proximity. In particular, the direct relationship with trade caused pre-Islamic Arabs to adapt these customs and traditions and get acquainted with Iranian traditions of entertainment, food, and clothing, thus correcting the weaknesses of their culture. With the spread of Islam, their direct connection with Iranians through the war and the presence of Iranian secretaries in the courts became more and more close.As a result, they distanced themselves from the simple lifestyles of the Rashidun caliphs. This interest in luxuries and aristocracy appeared in the Umayyad era and increased during the Abbasid period, which was contrary to the religious leaders’ social justice and simple biological policies adopted by the Islamic school. This caused the negative effect of cultural dissemination. The presence of Iranian teachers in the Abbasid era of madness, the friendly relationship between the caliphate and the distinct Iranian class, and the coexistence of the two cultures caused etiquette in the fields of fun and entertainment, food, and clothing, and their related customs to be adapted more than ever.
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