Alexander Dhu al-Qarnayn” as an Archi-myth

Alexander is one of the most important and ambiguous mythological characters of Iranian history and culture that has undergone extensive changes and taken new forms under the influence of grand epistemological narratives (archi-myth) in the Greek, Iranian and Islamic worlds. One of the efficient cultural strategies of Muslims is the use of archi-myths by borrowing them from the myths of other nations in order to explain and confirm religious concepts and teachings. The results of the present research show that the poverty of mythological contents among the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period, the rise of the translation movement in the first A.H. centuries, the emergence of the second wave of Hellenism and Alexander's mythical behaviors paved the way for the formation of a new personality of Alexander in the Islamic world, and Alexander was introduced as Dhu al-Qarnayn in the interpretation texts of Quran. In the world of Islam, the myth of Alexander did not have a clear concept at first, but it gradually found its own characteristics and through the generally religious codes, it reached an independent concept in the middle ages, which has continued with changes until now. By using analytical-comparative method, the present research at first attempts to examine "archi-myths" and then to find why Alexander, as a archi-myth, has been center of attention for Muslims.