the Reection of Functions of the Monarchial Institution in the Letter of Taher to Abdollah

Writing letters of advice was one of the manifestations of political wisdom, and a factorin the continuity of Iranian political heritage. "e main subjects of letters of advice werethe concept of monarchy, and the functions of the monarchial institution in runningIranian society. Acting on behalf of Ahura Mazda on earth, protecting the borders, assisting religion, construction and development, and providing justice were among thefunctions of the monarchial institution. By translating Persian texts into Arabic, thethemes of advice letters were transferred to the Islamic period and, of course, the newconditions created changes in the direction and quality of some functions of the monarchial institution. e importance of the letter of Taher lies in the fact that he initiatedthe rst lineage of Iranian rulers aer Islam, and so his thoughts in"uenced his successors.Taher's letter is the rst manifestation of the approach taken by Iranian rulers aerIslam to the ancient Persian literature of writing letters of advice. An examination of theletter of Taher reveals that Taher was familiar with the ancient teachings and the monarchialinstitution, and with ancient letters of advice such as the Testament of Ardeshir.One of the questions about Taher's letter is what eects his familiarity with the Iranianmodel of statecra had on his approach, on his conduct in carrying out the functions ofthe monarchial institution, and on his policy towards the Abbasid Caliphate. "e presentpaper, using an analytical approach, describes the functions of the monarchial institutionin ancient Persia and the changes to these functions in the Islamic period, and studiesthe functions of the monarchial institution in the letter of Taher.