Abu'l-Aswar or Abu'l-Asvar Shavur ibn Fadl ibn Muhammad ibn Shaddad also known as Aplesphares, was a member of the
Shaddadid dynasty. Between 1049 and 1067 he was the eighth Shaddadid ruler of
Arran (today in western
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
) from
Ganja
''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...
. Prior to that, he ruled the city of
Dvin (in what is now
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and northeastern
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
) from 1022 as an autonomous lord. A capable warrior, and a wise and cunning ruler, Abu'l-Aswar was engaged in several conflicts with most of his neighbours.
During his rule over Dvin, he was mostly involved in the affairs of the
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
principalities. He collaborated with the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
in its conquest of the last remnants of
Bagratid Armenia
Bagratid Armenia was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I of the Bagratuni dynasty in the early 880s following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule. With each of t ...
in 1045, but when the Byzantines later turned on him, he survived three successive offensives that sought to take Ganja. In 1049, a revolt in Ganja overthrew his infant great-great-nephew,
Anushirvan. The rebels invited him to take up the family's emirate, and he moved from Dvin to Ganja. Under his rule, the Shaddadid dynasty reached its zenith. He undertook successful campaigns into
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Shirvan
Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...
, although the limits of Shaddadid power were exposed by his failure to take over the
Emirate of Tiflis
The Emirate of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის საამირო ', ') was a Muslim emirate in Transcaucasia. The Emirs of Tbilisi ruled over the parts of today's eastern Georgia from their base in the city of Tbilisi, from 736 to 10 ...
and by devastating raids by the
Alans
The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...
. At the same time, his reign witnessed the rapid rise of the
Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
and the extension of its control over the
Transcaucasia
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...
n principalities.
Abu'l-Aswar became a Seljuk
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
in 1054/5. Although he gained control over the former Armenian capital of
Ani through Seljuk patronage in 1065, this association also paved the way for the dynasty's decline after his death in November 1067.
Origin
The main historical source on the
Shaddadids
The Shaddadids were a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Kurds, Kurdish origin. who ruled in various parts of Armenia and Arran (Caucasus), Arran from 951 to 1199 AD. They were established in Dvin (ancient city), Dvin. Through their long tenure ...
is the work of the
Ottoman historian
Münejjim Bashi (died 1702). Münejjim Bashi considered the family to be of
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish language
** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
**Central Kurdish (Sorani)
**Southern Kurdish
** Laki Kurdish
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern ...
origin, a view widely accepted by modern scholars. The family's founder,
Muhammad ibn Shaddad
Muhammad ibn Shaddad also known as Muhammad ibn Shaddad ibn qurtaq ( was a Kurdish tribal Chief, founder and first ruler of the Shaddadid dynasty. He captured Dvin from the Sallarids in 951, although apparently the citadel remained in the han ...
, briefly seized control of
Dvin in the early 950s. The family then moved to
Ganja
''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...
, the main Muslim town of
Arran, which was seized by Muhammad's sons
Lashkari (I),
Marzuban, and
Fadl (I) . The brothers successively ruled the city as emirs after that. Abu'l-Aswar Shavur was the second son of the youngest of the three brothers, and fourth Shaddadid ruler, Fadl. In his long reign (985–1031), Fadl expanded the family's control over much of Arran as well as parts of
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, capturing
Syunik. Fadl was succeeded as emir at Ganja by his eldest son Musa () who was in turn murdered by his own son
Abu'l-Hasan Lashkari (II) (). Abu'l-Aswar Shavur's name is an Arabic–Persian hybrid: "Shavur" is the old Persian name "
Shapur
Shahpur, Shapur, Shahpoor, or Shahapur () may refer to:
People
* Shapur (name), Persian given name and a list of people with the name
Places
India Bihar
* Shahpur, Bihar, a city in Bhojpur district
** Shahpur, Bihar Assembly constitue ...
", while his ''
kunya'' contains the Arabicized form of the Iranian (possibly
Daylamite
The Daylamites or Dailamites (Middle Persian: ''Daylamīgān''; ''Deylamiyān'') were an Iranian people inhabiting the Daylam—the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, now comprising the southeastern ...
) name "Asvar" (cognate with ''savar'', "horseman, knight").
Lord of Dvin (1022–49)

Münejjim Bashi records that at the time of his death in 1067, Abu'l-Aswar's total reign, both in Ganja and before that "over some territories", had lasted 46 years. "Some territories" clearly refers to his rule over Dvin, known from other sources, meaning that he became ruler of the city in . The city, although part of the
Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia, had been left defenceless after the death of
Gagik I of Armenia
Gagik I () was a Bagratid king of Armenia who reigned between 989 and 1020, under whom Bagratid Armenia reached its height and enjoyed a period of uninterrupted peace and prosperity.
Rule
It is unknown when Gagik I was born. He succeeded his br ...
in 1020 and the dispute of his sons over their inheritance, and suffered a devastating Daylamite raid in 1021 which effectively cut it off from the remainder of the Armenian kingdom. In the aftermath, the city appears to have sought the protection of the Shaddadids, and Abu'l-Aswar became its ruler. From this base, he pursued a virtually independent course from his brother, and later his nephew, in Ganja, focused more on Armenia than Arran. Abu'l-Aswar was intimately connected with the Armenian princely houses, having married a sister of
David I Anhoghin,
King of Tashir. His
second son even bore the typically Armenian name of Ashot. Due to his focus on the affairs of his domain, he is not mentioned by Münejjim Bashi until his takeover of the main family seat at Ganja in 1049. For his activities in the period 1022–49, the main sources derive from his opponents, the Armenians and the
Byzantines.
Abu'l-Aswar is first recorded by the history of
Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa (; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa. Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank, near the town of Kaysun, east of Marash (Germanicia), the former seat of ...
in 1040, when the Armenian nobleman Abirat, who had become embroiled in the dispute between Gagik I's sons
Ashot IV and
Hovhannes-Smbat III, came to Dvin. Fearful of the latter's displeasure, Abirat with 12,000 horsemen sought Abu'l-Aswar's protection. Abu'l-Aswar initially welcomed Abirat and gave him a high position, but soon came to mistrust him, and had him killed, whereupon Abirat's lieutenant Sare departed for
Ani with Abirat's supporters. Despite their kinship, at about the same time Abu'l-Aswar attacked David of Tashir. The Shaddadid army, numbering an impossible 150,000 according to Matthew of Edessa, captured much of Tashir, but David was able to assemble a broad alliance against Abu'l-Aswar. David himself fielded 10,000 troops, Hovhannes-Smbat III of Ani sent 3,000 men, the
King of Kapan sent 2,000, and even the
King of Georgia
This is a list of kings and queens regnant of the kingdoms of Georgia (country), Georgia before Georgia within the Russian Empire, Russian annexation in 1801–1810.
For more comprehensive lists, and family trees, of Georgian monarchs and ruler ...
sent 4,000, while David also secured the public backing of the
Catholicos of Albania. As a result, Abu'l-Aswar was defeated and evicted from Tashir.
Ashot IV and Hovhannes-Smbat III died at almost the same time (), and Ashot's son
Gagik II
Gagik II (; c. 1025 - May 5/November 24, 1079) was the last Armenian king of the Bagratuni dynasty, ruling in Ani from 1042 to 1045.
Historical background
During the reign of Hovhannes-Smbat (John-Smbat), a feudal lord, David, who owned Taik ...
() succeeded them both and began consolidating his position. The chief danger to his throne was the Byzantine Empire, which throughout the early 11th century had been encroaching on the Armenian principalities. Hovhannes-Smbat had even bequeathed his kingdom to the Empire, and after his death, Emperor
Michael IV the Paphlagonian
Michael IV the Paphlagonian (; c. 1010 – 10 December 1041) was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 1034 to his death on 10 December 1041.
The son of a peasant, Michael worked as a money changer until he was found a job at court by his brother ...
() sent troops to capture Ani. Gagik managed to repel the attack, and political turmoil in Constantinople gained him a couple of years of reprieve after that, but in 1042 a new emperor,
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos (; 980/ 1000
– 11 January 1055) reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita chose him as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring agai ...
(), came to the throne determined to secure Byzantine claims in Armenia.

To this end, he contacted Abu'l-Aswar and called upon him to attack the Armenians from the rear. Abu'l-Aswar agreed, in exchange for guarantees that he would retain his conquests, a request granted in an imperial
chrysobull
A golden bull or chrysobull was a decree issued by Byzantine emperors and monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Description
A golden bull was a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors. It was later used by monarchs in Europe ...
. Faced with a two-pronged assault, Gagik was forced to visit Constantinople. There he was kept hostage and Ani was surrendered to the Byzantines in 1045. Notwithstanding his previous promises, immediately after taking possession of Ani, the emperor requested that Abu'l-Aswar vacate the fortresses he had conquered. When the latter refused, a large army under
Michael Iasites and the ''
magistros
The (Latin; ; ) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantium, the office was eventually transformed into a senior honorary rank, simply called ''magist ...
''
Constantine the Alan, containing numerous Armenians,
marched against Dvin. Abu'l-Aswar let them approach, and then opened the irrigation canals and flooded the plain around the city. Stuck in the mud, the besiegers were easy prey for the Shaddadid archers, who inflicted huge casualties on the Byzantine force. Constantine IX responded by placing
Katakalon Kekaumenos
Katakalon Kekaumenos () was a prominent Byzantine general of the mid-11th century.
Biography
Katakalon Kekaumenos was born in Koloneia, and although apparently a member of the noble Katakalon family, according to John Skylitzes he was not of a ...
and the ''
parakoimomenos
The ''parakoimōmenos'' (, literally "the one who sleeps beside he emperor's chamber) was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, court position, usually reserved for eunuch (court official), eunuchs. The position' ...
'' Constantine in charge of Armenia. Instead of attacking Dvin, however, the new Byzantine leadership concentrated its efforts on recovering the forts captured by Abu'l-Aswar.
Surmari,
Anberd, and
Khor Virap
Khor Virap () is an Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian monastery located in the Ararat Plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Armenia, Artashat, Ararat Province, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. The mon ...
fell to the Byzantine army, but Chelidonion (modern
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
) resisted until September 1047, when the outbreak of a rebellion led by
Leo Tornikios
Leo Tornikios () was a mid-11th century Byzantine general and noble. In 1047, he rebelled against his cousin, the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine IX Monomachos (). He raised an army in Thrace and marched on the capital, Constantinople, which he ...
forced the army's recall to Constantinople. A peace treaty was hastily concluded, whereby Abu'l-Aswar agreed not to raid Byzantine territory and to recognize the authority of the emperor.
The successful resistance of Dvin put an end to the Byzantine advance in Armenia, helping preserve the independence of the smaller Armenian realms of Syunik, Tashir and
Khachen. Soon after, the regional balance of power was permanently altered with the
first large-scale raid of the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
under
Qutlumush ibn Arslan Isra'il and
Ibrahim Inal into Byzantine Armenia in 1048. While the Shaddadids may have been tempted to see in them welcome allies against the Byzantines, they were equally likely to be a threat, as demonstrated by the attack on Ganja by Qutlumush in 1046/47.
Shortly after, in late 1048 or early 1049—although some authors have suggested a later date, (
A.F. Gfrörer and M.H. Yinanç) or even (E. Honigmann)—the Byzantines launched another offensive against Dvin under the ''
rhaiktor''
Nikephoros. According to the contemporary Byzantine historian
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes (, ; , ; early 1040s – after 1101), was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century.
Life
Very little is known about his life. The title of his work records him as a '' kouropalat ...
, this was because Abu'l-Aswar ("Aplesphares", as the Byzantines called him) had violated the previous agreement and raided Byzantine lands. The Shaddadid ruler remained ensconced in Dvin, while the Byzantines devastated its environs "as far as the Iron Bridge and Ganja", forcing Abu'l-Aswar to renew his previous oath of subservience and hand over his great-nephew Ardashir, the son of Abu'l-Hasan Lashkari, as a hostage.
Emir of Ganja (1049–67)
In 1049, Abu'l-Aswar's nephew Lashkari, the emir of Ganja, died, after a troubled reign of 15 years. He was succeeded by his infant son
Anushirvan, but actual power was in the hands of his chamberlain (''
hajib
Hajib or hadjib (, ) was a court official, equivalent to a chamberlain, in the early Muslim world, which evolved to fulfil various functions, often serving as chief ministers or enjoying dictatorial powers. The post appeared under the Umayyad Ca ...
''), Abu Mansur. After barely two months, a group of elders opposed to the new regime's policies deposed Abu Mansur while he was at
Shamkur and called upon Abu'l-Aswar to assume control of Ganja as well. Abu'l-Aswar agreed and abandoned Dvin, which had become too exposed to the Byzantines. The city was left in the hands of a series of governors until 1053, when he appointed his son Abu Nasr Iskandar as ruler of the city and the surrounding regions. The Shaddadid ruler first set things in order in Shamkur, and then entered Ganja, taking possession "all the lands of Arran and its fortresses".
At this point in his career, Abu'l-Aswar had achieved a considerable reputation as a ruler and a warrior; the
Ziyarid
The Ziyarid dynasty () was an Iranian peoples, Iranian dynasty of Gilaki people, 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 ...
prince
Keikavus (), who later wrote a well-known
mirror for princes, the ''
Qabusnameh'', even came to Ganja and spent several years at the Shaddadid court to participate in the ''
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
'' against the Christians, after having spent eight years at the court of
Maw'dud of Ghazni
Shahāb-ud-Dawla Mawdūd (; died 1050), known as Mawdud of Ghazni (), was a sultan of the Ghaznavids from 1041 – 1050. He seized the throne of the sultanate from his uncle, Muhammad of Ghazni, in revenge for the murder of his father, Mas'ud I of ...
. According to Keikavus, his host was "a great king, a man firm and clever,
..just, courageous, eloquent dialectician, of pure faith and far-sighted". This estimate was shared by the Byzantines, for Skylitzes likewise calls him "as clever a strategist as anybody else, capable of thwarting the enemies' tactics and policies", while Münejjim Bashi writes that after his takeover of Ganja, "Abu'l-Aswar
..restored the name of the dynasty to life after it had nearly died out. He became strong and the situation of the subjects and the army became orderly."

According to Münejjim Bashi, in 1053, Abu'l-Aswar seized the (unidentified) fortress of Basra from the Georgians, and refortified and garrisoned it with many men. In 1054/5, along with many of the neighbouring rulers, he became a vassal of the Seljuk Sultan
Toghrul Beg (), although at least initially the impact of Seljuk overlordship seems to have been light, as neither Toghrul nor his successor
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...
() appeared on Shaddadid coinage at this time. In 1062, Abu'l-Aswar received a delegation from the
Emirate of Tiflis
The Emirate of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის საამირო ', ') was a Muslim emirate in Transcaucasia. The Emirs of Tbilisi ruled over the parts of today's eastern Georgia from their base in the city of Tbilisi, from 736 to 10 ...
, an isolated Muslim stronghold within the Christian Georgian kingdoms. Following the death of Emir Ja'far ibn Ali, the locals had evicted his quarrelling sons, and now asked Abu'l-Aswar to assume control of the city. The Shaddadid ruler was inclined to accept, but his
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
, Bakhtiyar ibn Salman, dissuaded him by warning that such an action would disperse his limited forces. After Abu'l-Aswar's refusal, Tiflis was occupied by the Georgians, until they were evicted by Alp Arslan in 1068. This event highlighted the limitations of Shaddadid power, which was further demonstrated by an
Alan
Alan may refer to:
People
*Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname
* Alan (given name), an English given name
** List of people with given name Alan
''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.''
* ...
invasion through the
Darial Pass
The Darial Gorge; ; ; . is a river gorge on the border between Russia and Georgia. It is at the east base of Mount Kazbek, south of present-day Vladikavkaz. The gorge was carved by the river Terek, and is approximately long. The steep granite w ...
in the same year: more than 20,000 inhabitants of Arran were carried off as slaves according to Münejjim Bashi's account. In response to the Alan threat, Abu'l-Aswar built a wall and moat around the suburb (''rabad'') of his capital Ganja. The gates installed by Abu'l-Aswar for this new fortification were carried off by the Georgians under
Demetrius I in 1139, and are still preserved at the
Gelati Monastery in modern
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. In 2012–14, replicas of the original gates were installed in Ganja's Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography.
At the same time, Abu'l-Aswar's relations with his neighbour,
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
Fariburz I (), abruptly deteriorated. The two dynasties were linked by family ties—Fariburz's predecessor,
Sallar (), had even been married to a daughter of Abu'l-Aswar—but now the Shaddadid ruler launched a series of invasions against
Shirvan
Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...
. In spring 1063, Abu'l-Aswar captured the Quylamiyan castle, marched on to the capital of Shirvan,
Shamakhi
Shamakhi (, ) 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 its name to th ...
, defeated the Shirvanshah's forces in battle, plundered their camp, and captured his own daughter, her treasure and retinue. He then withdrew to Arran, but in July returned to Shirvan to raid it. In the next year, he again invaded Shirvan and captured a number of fortresses, while the local Kurdish tribes went over to him. After his return to Ganja, a peace treaty was signed with the Shirvanshah in June/July 1064, whereby Abu'l-Aswar returned Quylamiyan in exchange for 40,000
gold dinar
The gold dinar () is an Islamic medieval gold coin first issued in AH 77 (696–697 CE) by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The weight of the dinar is 1 mithqal ().
The word ''dinar'' comes from the Latin word denarius, which was ...
s.
In 1064, the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan invaded Byzantine Armenia and took Ani. Abu'l-Aswar himself led raids into the area, capturing the unidentified fortress of Wyjyn ("one of the best in Armenia" according to Münejjim Bashi). Münejjim Bashi further records that Alp Arslan handed over control of Ani to him;
Ibn al-Athir reports the transfer to an unnamed emir, while
Vardan Areveltsi
Vardan Areveltsi (; Vardan the Easterner, – 1271 AD) was a medieval Armenian historian, geographer, philosopher and translator. In addition to establishing numerous schools and monasteries, he also left behind a rich contribution to Armen ...
records that the fortress was granted only to Abu'l-Aswar's son and successor,
Fadl. Immediately after his return to Ganja and the dispersal of his army, however, the Alans again crossed the Darial Pass in October 1065, and, allied with the inhabitants of
Shakki, raided Arran. At Shamkur they killed more than 200 volunteers for the ''jihad'', and raided even to the very gates of Ganja itself, before moving on to raid the environs of
Barda'a. Abu'l-Aswar and his troops preferred to remain within the protection of the walled cities rather than face the raiders in the field, and the Alans reached all the way to the
Araxes before turning back north, along with the prisoners they had taken.
Abu'l-Aswar died on 19 November 1067, and was buried at the main mosque of Ganja. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Fadl II, whom he had already announced as his heir, and to whom the oath of allegiance (''
bay'ah
''Bayʿah'' (, "Pledge of allegiance"), in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Bedouin culture it was a procedure for choosing the leader of the trib ...
'') had been taken by the Shaddadid family, the army and the people of Arran. Apart from Fadl, Abu'l-Aswar had four more sons—Ashot, Iskandar,
Manuchihr, and Marzuban—as well as an unnamed daughter, wife of the Shirvanshah Sallar.
Abu'l-Aswar's reign represented the zenith of the Shaddadid dynasty, but their fall began almost immediately after his death: the Seljuks strengthened their grip on Arran and the other principalities of the region, and Alp Arslan visited Ganja in person to extract an enormous tribute. Fadl II's reign was troubled—at one point he was captured and held by the Georgians for eight months—but he managed to capture Derbent. Fadl II was overthrown by his son
Fadlun (Fadl III) in 1073, who was in turn deposed in 1075 by the Turkish ''
ghulam
Ghulam (, ) is an Arabic word meaning ''servant'', ''assistant'', ''boy'', or ''youth''. It is used to describe young servants in Jannah. It is also used to refer to slave-soldiers in the Abbasid, Ottoman, Safavid and to a lesser extent, Mughal e ...
''
Sav Tegin, to whom the Seljuks had assigned control of Arran and Derbent. This ended the family's rule over Arran, but a junior line, led by Abu'l-Aswar's third son Manuchihr, continued to govern Ani as emirs, initially as Seljuk, and later as Georgian, vassals. This last branch of the Shaddadids maintained a precarious independence until the end of their dynasty in .
See also
*
Seljuk invasion of Anatolia
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
{{Shaddadids
1067 deaths
11th-century Shaddadid emirs
Emirs of Ganja
History of Dvin
Kurdish rulers
11th-century Kurdish people