Il-Khanate Empire

The Mongol khanate that ruled in West Asia (c.1256–1335) was founded by the grandson of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan), Hülegü, after he had eliminated the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258. Despite this bloody beginning, the Il-Khanate became a highly cosmopolitan state, having close connections with both China and Europe, and a composite administration and legacy combining Mongol, Iranian, and Muslim elements. In 1295 Il-Khan Ghazan adopted Islam, which remained the state religion of the empire. Despite its short span, the Il-Khanate saw an unprecedented efflorescence of arts and sciences, and earned a reputation for cultural splendor. It was also the period that gave rise to Iran as a separate entity inside the Muslim world for the first time since the Arab conquest of the 7th century, thereby laying the foundation for the modern nation-state of Iran.