Nationalist historiography of Mirza Fethali Akhundzadeh and Ebrahim Pourdaoud

Ali Ferdosi ¹ (PHD student)
omid sepehrirad ² (Assistant Professor of Bojnord Azad University)
amir akbari ³ (Assistant Professor of Bojnord Azad University)

Submited date : 2023-09-19 accepted date : 2023-12-16

Keywords: Historiography, nationalist Akhundzadeh, Pordawood,

Abstract :

The present article deals with the ideas of Akhundzadeh (1295-1227) and Ebrahim Pordawood (1347-1264) regarding nationalist historiography and the comparison of ancient Iranian culture and civilization in the contemporary period. Throughout the history, the land of Iran has been attacked by various tribes, but none of them were attacked as much as the invasion of the Tazians. Some intellectuals described that invasion as the most tragic disaster in the history of Iran. Akhundzadeh, as a secular intellectual, sought to find the root of Iran's backwardness in the Qajar era. He considered the Tazian invasion and the role of Islam in the backwardness of the Iranian society as essential factors, and to prove his claim by comparing the situation of Iran in ancient times and the Islamic period, he explained the distinctions and differences of these two periods in general and showed that the greatness of Ancient Iran was not comparable to the Islamic period. Contrary to Akhundzadeh, Pordawood had many studies in the history and culture of ancient Iran, he translated the Avesta into Persian language, however, he had a similar opinion about the invasion of the thazis and the role of Islam in the backwardness of the Iranian society. The present research deals with the views and opinions of Akhundzadeh (1295-1227) and Ebrahim Pordawood (1347-1264) regarding ancient Iran, and how the culture and civilization of that time became important in the contemporary era.