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International Journal of History

2025, Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part A

Sasanian Imperial Ideology: From Anāhītā Fire in Pārs to Ādur Gušnasp Fire Temple in Ādurbādagān


Author(s): Mahir Khalifa-zadeh

Abstract: The article analyzes some developments in the ideology of the early Sassanids. The author briefly overviews Ardaxšīr I’s rise to power, highlighting his political ambitions that formed the basis for Sasanian imperial policy and ideology. The Sasanians came to power with political ambitions to restore the Truth and Persian Glory and eliminate the remnants of Hellenism that survived the Parthian period. The author discusses political and ideological reasons, which motivated the early Sasanians to declare the fire temple of Ādur Gušnasp in Ādurbādagān as the empire’s most sacred fire. This step and Shāpūr I’s official declaration of Zoroastrianism as the state religion transformed Ādurbādagān into the empire’s most sacrosanct land, increasing the province’s imperial and strategic value as the centre of ideology and propaganda. Finally, it is shown that the granting “cathedral” rank to the Ādur Gušnasp fire temple and attaching themselves to this officially proclaimed the empire’s most sacred victorious warriors’ class fire of the highest grade was a significant shift in the first Sassanids’ imperial ideology.

DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i1a.344

Pages: 23-28 | Views: 162 | Downloads: 47

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International Journal of History
How to cite this article:
Mahir Khalifa-zadeh. Sasanian Imperial Ideology: From Anāhītā Fire in Pārs to Ādur Gušnasp Fire Temple in Ādurbādagān. Int J Hist 2025;7(1):23-28. DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i1a.344
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