''Sarhang'' is a title and/or
military rank of
Iranian origin, a compound of ''sar'' ("head, chief") and ''hang'' ("an army division"). In modern usage in
Iran, ''sarhang'' ( fa, سرهنگ) is the equivalent of
colonel.
History
The origin of the title ''sarhang'' may date back at least to the
Parthian Parthian may be:
Historical
* A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran
* Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD)
* Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language
* Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...
period.
In the
Sasanian period, it was a rank in the hierarchy of the ''
aswaran'' cavalry force. In the medieval period, ''sarhang'' has been defined as "a heroic man, a brave fighter, a night-guard". According to
Ibn al-Balkhi
''Fārsnāma'' ( fa, فارسنامه, "The Book of Fars") is a local history and geography of Fars Province, Persia written during the Saljuq period
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively sp ...
, the rank was immediately below ''
spāhbadh''. In ''
Tārikh-i Bukhārā'', the title is ranked below ''
amīr
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremo ...
''. In early Islamic period, the title appears together with ''
ayyār
Ayyār, ( ar, عيار, ʿayyār, pl. ''ʿayyārūn''; fa, عیار, Ayyâr, pl. ''Ayyârân'') refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond. Ayy ...
'', and a related title, ''sarhang-shumārān'', seems to belong to the leaders of the hierarchy of ''ayyārān''. According to Bosworth, ''sarhang''s were separate from ''ayyar''s, and were probably fighters with outstanding leadership or fighting qualities that were recruited from the latter.
Historical figures recorded as bearing this title include:
*
Jalinus of the late
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
* Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Tālūt (), serving the caliph
Al-Musta'in
* Wazīr ibn Ayyūb (), serving the ''amīr'' of
Khurasan
Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...
* Kharra Khusraw (), son of
Badhan (per
al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
)
* Bu-Ali Kutwal (), a Ghaznavid officer
[ in '' Tarikh-i Bayhaqi'']
References
{{Reflist
Military ranks of Iran
Sasanian military offices
Persian words and phrases