Dara I or Darab I was the penultimate king of the mythological
Kayanian dynasty
The Kayanians (Persian: دودمان کیانیان; also Kays, Kayanids, Kaianids, Kayani, or Kiani) are a legendary dynasty of Persian/Iranian tradition and folklore which supposedly ruled after the Pishdadians. Considered collectively, the Kay ...
, ruling for 12 years. He was the son of
Kay Bahman
Kay Bahman or -Wahman (from Middle Persian: 𐭥𐭤𐭥𐭬𐭭 ''Wahman'' "good mind") is a mythological figure of Greater Iranian legend and lore. The stock epithet ''Kai'' identifies Bahman as one of the Kayanian kings of Iranian oral traditio ...
. Most accounts agree that Dara's mother was
Humay Chehrzad
Humay-ē Chehrzad (Middle Persian: ''Humag'', Avestan: ''Humāiiā-'') was a legendary Kayanian dynasty queen of Iran for around 32 years. She was daughter and perhaps also wife (sources vary) of Kay Bahman.
Rule
Bahman becomes ill when Humay is 6 ...
, who had married her father, Kay Bahman. After Kay Bahman's death, Humay, who was pregnant with Dara, became the regent of the realm. Humay later hid the news of Dara's birth, and abandoned him on casket filled with expensive jewels on a river. The river has reported to have been the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
, the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
, the
Kor river
Kor River (also Kur River; fa, رود کر) is located in the Fars Province of Iran. The sources of the river are mostly in the Zagros Mountains near Mount Dena. It flows into the Bakhtegan Lake, which is a salt lake. The increased salinity leve ...
in
Fars, the Polvar river in Fars, or the
Balkh river The Balkh River ( fa, دریای بلخاب; ps, د بلخ سیند) or Balkhab, also known in its upper reaches as the Band-e Amir River, is a river in northern Afghanistan.
The river rises in the Band-e Amir lakes in Bamyan Province in the Hindu ...
.
When Dara became older he eventually found his way back to Humay, who abdicated in his favor. Dara I was later succeeded by his son
Dara II
Dara II or Darab II was the last king of the mythological Kayanian dynasty, ruling between 14 and 16 years. He is generally identified with Darius III (), the last king of the Achaemenid Empire. In Middle Persian literature and Islamic chronicles, ...
.
Dara I has been credited with the establishment of the Persian postal system, which is a reflection of the introduction or restructuring of the postal system by the
Achaemenid
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
King of Kings
King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...
,
Darius I the Great
Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...
(). The last Kayanian kings were usually connected with western Iran, as demonstrated by reports of Dara I using
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
as his residence. Most sources credit Dara I with the foundation of the city of
Darab
Darab ( fa, داراب, translit=Dārāb) — formerly Darabkert, or Darábgerd ("city of Darius")— is a city and capital of Darab County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 54,513, in 13,279 families.
Historical ...
gerd in Fars, while a few consider Dara II to have been its founder.
According to later sources, Dara I had a son named Firuzshah, whose achievements are mentioned in the ''Firuz-nameh'' by Haji Muhammad Bigami.
References
Sources
*
Further reading
*
Kayanians
Shahnameh characters
4th century BC in Iran
Zoroastrian rulers
{{Shahnameh-stub