Samanid Dynasty 900- 999 CE
As the first native dynasty to come to power in Iran after
the Muslim Arab conquest, the Samanid dynasty is known
for reviving Persian nationalism and pride.
Saman-Khoda, the original emperor gave four territories
in the country to his four sons. Nuh obtained Samarkand;
Ahmad, Fergana; Yahya, Shash; and Elyas, Herat.
In 875 CE, Ahmad's son Nasr became governor of Transoxania.
In 900 CE, his brother Ismail I defeated the Saffarids
in Khorasan and the Zaydites of Tabaristan, to create a
semiautonomous rule over those regions, with Bukhara as
the capital. His region of rule expanded to Afghanistan,
and eastern Iran. He was known as a generous man and a
competent ruler. Ismail’s successors tried to follow
in his footsteps. One of them, Nasr ibn Ahmad is remembered
as supporter and contributor to growth of literature and
culture. Also, two important primer ministers named Abu
Abdellah Jayhani, and Abul Fazl Mohammad Balami were historical
figures as they thrived on intellectuals. Through their
influence, Bukhara became the cultural domain of Iranian
civilisation. Overall, the Samanid dynasty contributed
to Persian culture in all areas such as culture, language,
art, society, trade, politics, and science. In addition,
the influenced agriculture, commerce, architecture, city
building, coinage, textiles, and metalwork.
Their work can still be seen today in the mausoleum of
the Samanids in Bukhara, the mausoleum of Arabato in Tim,
and the mosque Nuh Gunbad in Balkh.
back to the top
Saffarid Dynasty 861-900 CE
In 861 CE a man named Yaqub conquered the region of Sistan
began expanding east to Kabol and then north to Kerman.
Although by 868 CE he had vast rule over Shiraz and the
surrounding territories, he continued to workd for Abbasid
al-Mutazz Billah, the caliph. In 869 CE the new caliph,
in fear of his potential power, made him the governor of
Balkh, Tokharestan, Fars, Kerman, Sistan and Sind. Yaqoub
attempted two more major battles, once to Neishapour and
the last time to Fars, advacing as far as Khouseztan. He
died in 878 CE in Jondishapour. He was succeeded by his
brother Amr ibn Layth, who was appointed governer and ruled
Fars, Kerman, Esfahan, the region of Jebal, Gorgan, Tabarestan,
Sistan and Sind. To test the new governer, the caliph also
gave Amir Ismail Samani power in Transoxania (a part of
which Amr was supposed to rule). Neither side aware of
the imposed conflict, the two went to war. Amr was defeated
in 900 CE.
The Saffarids rule reached its limits during the rule
of Yaqoub and Amr. The brothers had managed to extend as
far as the Indus River and to the northeast to the Oxus.
In the north and northwest all of Khorasan, Gorgan and
Tabarestan and in the south Kerman and Fars were considered
conquered Saffarid land.
back to the top
Islam's Arrival 636 CE
The Sassanid Empire was brought down by Beduin Arabs who
introduced a new religion called Islam. The Prophet Mohammad
who was a member of the Hashimite clan of the powerful
tribe of Quraysh, declared himself prophetic in Arabia
in 612. He conquered Mecca, his city of birth with his
new religion. In 632, a year after his death, Arabia under
Abu Bakr had enough unity to begin expansion eastward and
westward.
Abu
Bakr’s army conquered Byzantine at Damascus
in 635. In 637 Arabs occupied the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon
(which they renamed Madain). Within four years, Abu Bakr’s
army dessimated the Sassanids at Nahavand, aided along
by the material and social bankruptcy of the Sassanids.
Although the Arab Muslims offered tolerance and fair treatment,
it took some time for Iranians to convert to Islam. The
majority of the country did became Muslim in the ninth
century.
In the same way, the new Muslim settlers adopted the Sassanid
coinage system and many administrative ways, such as the
office of vizier, or minister, and the divan, a bureau
for controlling state revenue and expenditure.
With the Arabs in control, the new imposed religion, introduced
new beliefs, laws, and social morals to the Iranians. Arabic
was pronounced the official language of the courts in 696
and it wasn’t until the ninth century, that there
was a defiant revival of the Persian language, peppered
still with Arabic words.
The
Shia sect of Islam originated with Arab Muslims. After
Mohammad’s death, there was
a split among his followers. The first group believed
that leadership of the community
rightfully belonged to a blood relative, Mohammad's son-in-law,
Ali.
This group was called the Shiat Ali, or the partisans of
Ali. The other group, believed in the best leader forward
following Mohammad, who was Muawiya. Ali was assassinated
while praying in a mosque at Kufa in 661 and Muawiya was
declared caliph. He led the Umayyad dynasty, with the capital
at Damascus. Following Ali’s death, his youngest
son, Hossain, refused Muawiya's son and successor Yazid
I command and fled to Mecca. There he lead his father’s
followers to Karbala, where his band of 200 men and women
were killed by 4,000 of the Umayyad army. This bloody event
in 680 is still observed as Moharram as a day of mourning
for all Shias. The Shias settled in southern Iraq and it
was not until the sixteenth century that a majority of
Iranians became Shias.
In 750 the Abbasid dynasty came into power after overthrewing
the Umayyads. The Abbasid army compromised mostly of people
from Khorasan, who were from the north east of Iran. The
Abbasids declared Baghdad their capital and continued the
centralization policies. They allowed Iranians to contribute
heavily to structuring the new dynasty, contributing to
cultural growth, vast trade and economic development.
Iran saw many smaller ruling groups and battles for the
next while. One group were nomads who were Turkish speaking
warriors from Central Asia. The true power lay with this
group as the Abbasid caliphs lost power and control. A
few independent and indigenous dynasties rose in many regions
of Iran. These included the Tahirids in Khorasan (820-72);
the Saffarids in Sistan (867-903); and the Samanids (875-1005),
originally at Bokhara. The Seljoks, a clan of the Oghoz
(or Ghozz) Turks, conquered a vast region in Iran. Malik
Shah ruled from 1072-92 and under his rule, Iran enjoyed
a cultural and scientific renaissance, largely attributed
to his brilliant Iranian vizier, Nezam al Molk. It was
in this time that Omar Khayyam did much of his experimentation
for a new calendar.
back to the top
back to history
|
