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.
Ayyars were associated with
futuwwa
Futuwwa (Arabic: فتوة, "young-manliness" or "chivalry") was a conception of moral behavior around which myriad institutions of Medieval confraternity developed. With characteristics similar to chivalry and virtue, these communal associations of ...
, or medieval Islamic organizations located in cities.
Emergence
'Ayyarun are believed to predate Islam, since they are said to have distinct Iranian customs, and they were active in regions corresponding to the territories of the
Sasanian Empire.
However, most of the writing about them centers on their activities in Baghdad from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Baghdad was ruled by the
Buyids
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. Coup ...
(945–1055) back then, and was a very lawless city, caused by fighting between
Sunnis and
Shi'ites
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
. They did many terrible things such as extorting taxes on roads and markets, burning wealthy quarters and markets, and looting the homes of the rich by night. For several years (1028–33),
al-Burjumi and
Ibn al-Mawsili, leaders of the 'ayyarun, ruled the city due to governmental instability.
Reputation
The 'ayyarun have been commonly called fighters, though these activities are highlighted during times of weak government and civil war, when their role as a military force most likely made them fight on multiple sides, angering many. During times of more stable government, their lawful activities decreased, and when the
Seljuqs
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
ruled in the 12th century, their activities almost ceased. The 'ayyarun also made war against much of Turks in reaction to social injustices.
Regional influence
Outside Baghdad, the 'ayyarun were closely allied with the
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...
, and helped maintain the current order. The
Saffarids
The Saffarid dynasty ( fa, صفاریان, safaryan) was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian origin that ruled over parts of Persia, Greater Khorasan, and eastern Makran from 861 to 1003. One of the first indigenous Persian dynasties to emer ...
(861-1003) of eastern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
were in fact an 'ayyarun dynasty. They are thought by some historians to have contributed to the weakening of Baghdad, clearing the way for the horrific destruction of the city by the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...
.
See also
*
Javānmardi ''Javānmardi'' ( fa, جوانمردی) is a Persian language, Persian word which refers broadly to the ideological or philosophical underpinnings an ethical system dominated by altruism, magnanimity and liberality linked to chivalry, and particular ...
References
AYYĀR Encyclopædia Iranica
External links
Library reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayyar
Middle East
Military units and formations of the medieval Islamic world
Outlaws
Medieval history of Iran