The Ilkhanids ruled Iran, Anatolia (modern Turkey), Iraq and Central Asia and were part of the vast Mongol Empire that covered most of Asia and parts of Europe. At first, like their Mongol cousins, the Ilkhanids lived a nomadic life, moving from location to location. The centre of Ilkhanid power was northwestern Iran, where their capital Tabriz was located. The Ilkhanids were open to other cultures and religiously tolerant. They practiced their ancestral shamanism, Buddhism, Christianity, and eventually Islam. Towards the end of the 13th century AD, the Ilkhanids began to settle and built palaces such as that at Takht-i Sulaiman in western Iran.

In their architecture, the Ilkhanids modelled their monuments on Sasanian and Persian buildings. Ghazan Khan (reigned 1295-1304) was the first Ilkhanid ruler to convert to Islam, establishing his capital at Tabriz. He and his brother Oljeitu (died 1316), who succeeded him, were great patrons of the arts and architecture. One of his projects was to build a mosque in every village. Oljeitu’s mausoleum at Sultaniyyeh was built on a grand scale with luxurious decoration that proclaims the awesome power of the Ilkhanids. Ilkhanid manuscript painting, ceramics, textiles and metalwork reflect the strong influence of Chinese art in the use of motifs such as dragons, phoenixes and lotuses.