Muhammad bin Musafir ( fa, محمد بن مسافر) (died before 953) was the

Sallarid 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 Ar ...

ruler of

Tarum Tarum ( he, תָּרוּם, ''lit.'' Exalted) is a moshav in central Israel. Located to the north of Beit Shemesh with an area of 1,800 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In it had a population of . Tarum i ...

in modern northwest Iran (before 916–941) and

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

(949). He was the son of Musafir, and his original name seems to have been Sallar or Salar (Persian for 'commander'); 'Sallar' would later become a title used by his successors.

Biography

Caspian coast of Iran during the Iranian intermezzo

Some time before 916 Muhammad became the ruler of Tarum. Like his predecessors, he forged a marriage alliance with the

Justanids The Justanids or Jostanids ( fa, جستانیان) were an Iranian Zaydi Shia dynasty that ruled a part of Daylam (the mountainous district of Gilan) from 791 to the late 11th century. History The Justanids appear as kings of Daylam at the e ...

of Dailaman by marrying Kharasuya, daughter of the Justanid king

Justan III Justan III was the sixth king of the Justanid dynasty, ruling from 865 to 919. He was the brother and successor of Khurshid of Dailam. Biography Justan is first mentioned in 865, when he was placed on the Justanid throne by his suzerain, the Al ...

. This marriage allowed him to intervene in the affairs of the Justanids. In 919 he killed Ali of Dailam, who had murdered Justan in order to take the throne for himself. Muhammad also killed

Khusrau Firuz Khusrau Firuz was a Justanid king who ruled briefly in 919. He was the brother and successor of Ali of Dailam. Before becoming the ruler of the Justanids, Khusrau Firuz aided his brother Ali in murdering their brother Justan III. Ali then crowned h ...

in battle, although Khusrau Firuz's son

Siyahchashm Siyahchashm (Persian/Daylami; ''Siyāhçašm'', literally "black eye"), also known by his ''laqab'' of Mahdi, was ruler of the Justanids from 919 to 928. He was the son and successor of Khusrau Firuz. Siyahchashm's father Khusrau Firuz was killed ...

was able to succeed him in spite of the Sallarid. Despite this, the power of the Sallarids increased at the Justanids' expense. In 930 the

Dailamite The Daylamites or Dailamites (Middle Persian: ''Daylamīgān''; fa, دیلمیان ''Deylamiyān'') were an Iranian people inhabiting the Daylam—the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, now comprisin ...

Asfar ibn Shiruya Asfar ibn Shiruya ( Gilaki/ fa, اسفار بن شیرویه: died 931) was an Iranian military leader of Gilaki origin, active in northern Iran (esp. Tabaristan and Jibal) in the early 10th century. He played a major role in the succession dispute ...

ordered

Mardavij Mardavij ( Gilaki/ fa, مرداویج, meaning "man assailant") was an Iranian prince, who established the Ziyarid dynasty, ruling from 930 to 935. Born to a Zoroastrian family native to Gilan, Mardavij sought to establish a native Iranian Zoro ...

to seize Tarum from Muhammad. Mardavij invaded Tarum and laid siege to the fortress of Shamiran, but Muhammad was eventually able to persuade him to revolt against Asfar. With Sallarid support Mardavij killed Asfar's brother Shirzad and then Asfar himself, taking the latter's territories and founding the

Ziyarid dynasty The Ziyarid dynasty ( fa, زیاریان) was an Iranian dynasty of Gilaki origin that ruled Tabaristan from 931 to 1090 during the Iranian Intermezzo period. The empire rose to prominence during the leadership of Mardavij. After his death, his ...

of northern Iran. Muhammad's oppressive rule made him unpopular even to his own family. In 941 his sons Marzuban and Wahsudan confined him in a castle. Wahsudan took over the rule in Tarum, while Marzuban went on to conquer Azerbaijan. Muhammad was freed in 949, after Marzuban had been captured by the

Buwayhids The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Coupl ...

. Marzuban's Dailamite captains rallied around Muhammad, freeing him and setting him up in

Ardebil Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaijan ...

. He was unable to maintain himself in Azerbaijan for long, however, as he quickly offended the Dailamites and was forced to flee to Tarum. There he was imprisoned for a second time by Wahsudan, and remained in prison until his death, which occurred some time before 953. Besides his political career, Muhammad was known for building up the fortress of Shamiran. He did so by using expert workmen, promising them high pay but then reducing their status to that of forced laborers.

References

Sources

* * *Bosworth, Clifford Edmund. ''The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual.'' Great Britain: Columbia University Press, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad bin Musafir 10th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 10th-century Iranian people Sallarid dynasty