The
Samanids (819–999)Encyclopedia Britannica, Online Edition, 2007,
Samanid Dynasty, LINK (
Sāmāniyān) were a
Persian empire in Central Asia and
Greater Khorasan, named after its founder
Saman Khuda who converted to
Sunni IslamThe History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74 despite being from
Zoroastrianism theocratic nobility. It was among the first native Iranian people dynasties in Greater Iran and
Central Asia after the
Arabs entered the region.
(between 892 and 943) in Bukhara,
Uzbekistan (photo 2003).
Domination
The Samanid period is considered the beginning of the
Tajiks nation.Tajikistan in the New Central Asia, By Lena Jonson, pg. 18 Their rule lasted for 180 years, and their territory encompassed Khorasan,
Ray, Iran, Transoxiania,
Tabaristan,
Kerman, Gorgan, and the area west of these provinces up to
Isfahan. To legitimize the dynasty, the Samanids claimed to be descendants of
Bahram Chobin,Iran and America: Re-Kinding a Love Lost By Badi Badiozamani, Ghazal Badiozamani, pg. 123 and thus descended from the House of Mihran, one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran. In governing their territory, the Samanids modeled their state organization after the
Abbasids, mirroring the caliph's court and organization.The Monumental Inscriptions from Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana By Sheila S. Blair, pg. 27 They were rewarded for supporting the
Abbasids in
Transoxania and Khorasan, and with their established capitals located in Bukhara,
Samarkand, and
Herat, they carved their kingdom after defeating the Saffarids.Iran and America: Re-Kinding a Love Lost By Badi Badiozamani, Ghazal Badiozamani, pg. 123
With their roots stemming from the city of
Balkh,Tajikistan in the New Central Asia, pg. 18 the Samanids promoted the arts, giving rise to the advancement of science and literature, and thus attracted scholars such as
Rudaki and Avicenna. While under Samanid control,
Bukhara was a rival to Baghdad in its glory.The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74 Scholars note that the Samanids revived Persian more than the
Buyids and the
Saffarids, while continuing to patronize Arabic to a significant degree.The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74 Nevertheless, in a famous edict, Samanid authorites stipulted that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings."The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74
, an emperor of the
Tajiks Samanid dynasty, a
Persian empire based in Central Asia.
Cultural and Religious Legacy
The Samanids not only revived Persian culture but they also determinedly propagated Sunni
Islam. In doing so, the Samanids repressed
Ismaili ShiismAn Ismaili Heresiography: The "Bab Al-Shaytan" from Abu Tammam's Kitab Al ... By Wilferd Madelung, Paul Ernest Walker, pg. 5 but remained tolerant of Twelver
Shiism.The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74 The Samanid state became a staunch patron of Islamic architecture and spread the Islamo-Persian culture deep into the heart of Central Asia. The population within its areas began firmly accepting Islam in significant numbers, notably in
Taraz, now in modern day
Kazakhstan. According to historians, through the zealous missionary work of Samanid rulers, as many as 200,000 tents of Turkish people came to profess Islam,Ibn Athir, volume 8, pg. 396. under the Hanafi school of thought.The History of Iran By Elton L. Daniel, pg. 74 The mass conversion of the Turks to Islam eventually led to a growing influence of the
Ghaznavids, who would later rule the region. Another lasting contribution of the Samanids to the history of Islamic art is the pottery known as Samanid Epigraphic Ware: plates, bowls, and pitchers fired in a white slip and decorated only with calligraphy, often elegantly and rhythmically written. The Arabic phrases used in this calligraphy are generally more or less generic well wishes, or
Islamic admonitions to good table manners.In 999 their realm was conquered by the
Karakhanids.
Under Ghaznavid rule, the
Shahnameh, was completed. In commending the Samanids, the epic Persian poet Ferdowsi says of them:
کجا آن بزرگان ساسانیان
زبهرامیان تا بسامانیان
"Where have all the great
Sassanids gone?
From the
Bahram V of Persia to the Samanids what has come upon?"
Samanid Amirs
, Tajikistan, Iran. 9th-early 10th century. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
See also
External links
- To the Question of the Origin of the Samanids by Shamsiddin S. Kamoliddin, in Transoxiana 10, July 2005.
- M. Ismail Marcinkowski, Persian Historiography and Geography: Bertold Spuler on Major Works Produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and Early Ottoman Turkey, with a foreword by Professor Clifford Edmund Bosworth, member of the British Academy, Singapore: Pustaka Nasional, 2003, ISBN 9971-77-488-7.They were overthrown by the Ghaznavid Empire. And THE former Foreign Minister, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali is a descendant of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi.
References and footnotes
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