Buddhism in Iran dates back to the 2nd century, when Parthian Buddhist missionaries, such asAn Shigao andAn Xuan, were active in spreadingBuddhism in China. Many of the earliest translators of Buddhist literature into Chinese were fromParthia and other kingdoms linked with present-dayIran.[1]
Buddhists were persecuted during theSasanid rule in the vast territory they ruled, as they madeZoroastrianism the state religion in 224 AD, and thereafter burned many Buddhist sites in the regions where it was practiced, namelyCentral Asia. Surviving Buddhist sites in the easternmost Sassanian territories, comprising modern day Central Asia, were later raided in the 5th century by theWhite Huns.[2]
"In the centuries before the Arab conquests Buddhism was spread throughout the eastern Iranian world. Buddhist sites have been found in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, as well as within Iran itself."[3] The Arab conquests brought the final demise of Buddhism in Eastern Iran and Afghanistan, although in some sites likeBamiyan andHadda it survived until the 8th or 9th century.[2]
Ilkhanate underHulagu Khan embracedKagyu school ofTibetan Buddhism[4] while tolerant to religious diversity, which enabled Buddhism to remain the official religion of the empire till 1295. During this period, Buddhist temples were constructed throughout the kingdom. Additionally, small Buddhist communities settled throughout the Ilkhanate realm, mainly originating from Kashmir andEast Turkestan.[5] Later, Ilkhanate rulerGhazan, who was raised asNestorian Christian and received Buddhist education in his youth, converted toIslam in 1295 AD and made it the state religion of the Ilkhanate.[6] He also prohibited the practice of Buddhism, but allowed monks to go into exile into neighboring Buddhist regions.[7]
In 2002, 19 Gandharan style Buddhist statues were unearthed in the southern Iranian province of Fars.[8]
In recent years, as part of the post-revolution period, Buddhist ideas and practice, as part of a broader reemergence of various faiths inIran, has experienced an upsurge of interest amongIranians. Some of the poetry ofSohrab Sepehri shows Buddhist influence.[9]
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