The Mazyadids, named after their ancestor Mazyad al-Shaybani (also Shaybanids after their original tribe of
Shayban or Yazidids after Mazyad's son
Yazid), was an Arab family what came to rule over the region of
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
(in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
) in the mid 9th century. From 861 on, with
Haytham ibn Khalid
Haytham ibn Khalid was the first Shirvanshah, or independent ruler of Shirvan, renouncing the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphate in 861 and beginning the Mazyadid dynasty.
Biography
He was the son of the Shaybani Arab Khalid ibn Yazid al-Sha ...
's assumption of the ancient Iranian title of ''
Shirvanshah
''Shirvanshah'' ( fa, شروانشاه), also spelled as ''Shīrwān Shāh'' or ''Sharwān Shāh'', was the title of the rulers of Shirvan from the mid-9th century to the early 16th century. The title remained in a single family, the Yazidids, a ...
'', they practically broke free of
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
control and ruled Shirvan more or less independently until the 14th century.
Branches
Mazyadid dynasty was first generation of whole independent
Shirvanshahs
''Shirvanshah'' ( fa, شروانشاه), also spelled as ''Shīrwān Shāh'' or ''Sharwān Shāh'', was the title of the rulers of Shirvan from the mid-9th century to the early 16th century. The title remained in a single family, the Yazidids, a ...
. Dynasty ruled both
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
and
Layzan,
until latter invaded
Shamakhy
Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving i ...
and united crowns. The dynasty was a vassal and tributary state to
Sallarids
The Sallarid dynasty ( fa, سالاریان), (also known as the Musafirids or Langarids) was a Muslim dynasty, of Daylami origin, which ruled in Tarom, Samiran, Daylam, Gilan and subsequently Azerbaijan, Arran, and some districts in Eastern Arm ...
,
Sajids
The Sajid dynasty ( fa, ساجیان, sajyan), was an Iranian Muslim dynasty that ruled from 889/890 until 929. The Sajids ruled Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia first from Maragha and Barda and then from Ardabil.''Azerbaijan IV'', C.E. Bosworth, ' ...
and others. The Mazyadid reign is largely unexplored due to lack of sources. Sometimes numismatic evidences are the only sources about reign and existence of shahs.
Family tree
Descent from Mazyad, rulers shown in bold.
Aftermath
The Mazyadids were succeeded by
Kasranids
The Kasranids (Persian: سلسله کسرانی) were a branch of the Shirvanshahs, who ruled the Shirvan region for 387 years. The word "Kasra" was derived from legendary king Kai Khosrow of Iran, reflecting a shift in naming tradition from Arabic ...
which is regarded as the start of the cultural
Persianization
Persianization () or Persification (; fa, پارسیسازی), is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Persian society becomes "Persianate", meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Persian ...
of Shirvan.
References
Sources
* Sara Ashurbeyli – Shirvanshahs, Baku, 2007
Medieval Azerbaijan
Arab dynasties
Banu Shayban
Shirvanshahs
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