Hamadani, known as Shah-e-Hamadan (King of Hamadan) — a city in present-day Iran — and Ameer-e-Kabir (the great commander), is credited with bringing Islam to Kashmir. The missionary not only brought the message of Islam but also language, arts and crafts, architecture, agricultural practices and skilled artisans. He thus helped shape Kashmir’s religious, cultural and economic landscape.

For five centuries, Persian remained the official language of Jammu and Kashmir before being replaced by Urdu in 1889 during the Dogra rule.

Kashmir’s exchanges with Iran have had a deep impact on its culture. While Kashmir embraced Iranian architecture, Iranian artisans brought with them famed arts and crafts including carpet-weaving, papier-mâché and khatamband (intricate woodwork used to design ceilings). Iranians also introduced dry fruits and saffron to Kashmir.

How ties endured in the modern era

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Shamsudin Araki — a Shia missionary from Isfahan in Iran — made frequent visits to Baltistan, Kargil and Kashmir, organising the existing Shia Muslims and converting a substantial population to the Shia school of thought.

Though the cultural linkages between Kashmir and Iran were old, it was the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that brought Kashmiri Shias and a large section of Sunnis closer to Iran.

One of the reasons was the purported Kashmiri origin of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the assertion of  inclusivity by Khomeini and his successor Khamenei.

In fact, a year after the revolution, Khamenei visited Kashmir, addressed worshippers in Srinagar’s historic grand mosque and prayed behind Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, thus sending a message of Shia-Sunni unity.

The acceptance of Khomeini’s revolutionary ideas by the Sunni Jamat-e-Islami in Kashmir also helped to garner support for the revolutionary leadership of Iran in Kashmir.

In 1987, when Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir, the majority of the religious organisations, including the Shia outfits, joined hands under the umbrella of Muslim United Front (MUF) to fight the National Conference-Congress combine.

One of the famous slogans of the MUF election rallies was “Iran say khabar aayi, Shia-Sunni bhai bhai (The message from Iran is that Shia and Sunni are brothers)”.

The Aga family of the valley, which holds considerable influence over the Shias, also had close ties with Khomeini. Aga Syed Yosuf, the great-grandfather of Srinagar parliament member Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, studied at Najaf seminary with Khomeini.

For the Shias in the Valley and Kargil in Ladakh, Khamenei was a Wali-e-Faqih or the Supreme Leader. The concept of Wali-e-Faqeeh was introduced from Shia theology by Khomeini, who asserted that in absence of the 12th Imam, the qualified Islamic jurist has authority of political leadership over the people. The Asna Ashria (or the twelver Shia) who comprise around 85% of the Shia population across the world,  believe in 12 infallible Imams (leaders), the last of whom will come at the end of time.

The Qom seminary in Iran, the second largest Shia scholarship centre after Najaf in Iraq, has also enabled regular contact between Iran and Kashmiri Shia Muslims. A large number of Kashmiri Shia scholars visit Qom for studies.