Zahir al-Din Karawi was the leader of the

Sarbadars The Sarbadars (from fa, سربدار ''sarbadār'', "head on gallows"; also known as Sarbedaran ) were a mixture of religious dervishes and secular rulers that came to rule over part of western Khurasan in the midst of the disintegration of t ...

of Sabzewar from 1356 to 1359.

Reign

Zahir al-Din was the nephew of Yahya Karawi. After his uncle's murder in 1355 or 1356, the partisans of Wajih ad-Din Mas'ud attempted to take control of the government and install Mas'ud's son Lutf Allah as head of state. They were, however, dispersed by Haidar Qassib, who then declared Zahir al-Din as ruler. In the meantime, some of Lutf Allah's supporters had escaped from Sabzewar. Lutf Allah's atabeg Nasr Allah soon rebelled in Esfarayen. Haidar Qassib encouraged Zahir al-Din to move against the rebels but his advice was ignored. He then deposed Zahir al-Din and took control of Sabzewar himself.

References

*Roemer, H. R. "The Jalayirids, Muzaffarids and Sarbadars." ''

The Cambridge History of Iran ''The Cambridge History of Iran'' is a multi-volume survey of Iranian history published in the United Kingdom by Cambridge University Press. The seven volumes cover "the history and historical geography of the land which is present-day Iran, as w ...

Volume 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods.'' Edited by Peter Jackson. New York:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

, 1986. *Smith, Jr., John Masson. ''The History of the Sarbadar Dynasty 1336–1381 A.D. and Its Sources''. The Hague: Mouton, 1970. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zahir al-Din Karawi Sarbadars 14th-century Iranian people Iranian royalty