ABSTRACT
It is well documented that mongol rule in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries fostered the direct exchange of ideas and practices between diverse cultures and religions. Three rock-cut sites in the regions of marāgha and sulṭāniyya in Iran have occupied archaeologists, some of whom suggested that the caves had served as buddhist temples and/or monasteries imported by the mongol dynasty of Ilkhans who ruled in Iran c.1258 to 1335. however, scholars do not tell us who would have patronized the establishments, and who constituted the clergy – mongol or Persian, élite or commoners. This article will reconsider the sites, first through the broader geographic environment in which they are found, the possible references to them in Persian contemporary chronicles, and their exact locations today. section II of this article outlines our methodological approach, and section III our assessment of their functions and dating in light of the features observed and reconsidered. The last section provides conclusions and ideas for future study.
