Samanid Empire

The Samanid Empire (Persian: سامانیان, romanized: Sāmāniyān) was a PersianateSunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iraniandehqan origin, from 819 to 999. The empire was centred in Khorasan and Transoxiana, and at its greatest extent included northeastern Iran and Central Asia.

The Samanid dynasty originated with four brothers: Nuh, Ahmad, Yahya, and Ilyas, who were made governors of territories under Abbasid suzerainty in 819. In 892, Ismail Samani, son of Ahmad, united the Samanids under his rule. It was also under him that the Samanids became effectively independent of the Abbasids. However, by 945, the government had fallen under the de facto control of the Turkic military slave faction, and the Samanid family's authority had become purely symbolic.

The Samanid Empire is part of the Iranian Intermezzo, which saw the creation of a Persianate culture and identity that brought Iranian speech and traditions into the fold of the Islamic world. This later contributed to the formation of the Turko-Persian culture.

The Samanids were patrons of the arts, leading to advancements in science and literature, and as a result attracted scholars such as Rudaki, Ferdowsi, and Avicenna. Under Samanid rule Bukhara was said to rival Baghdad in its glory. Scholars note that the Samanids did more to revive Persian language and culture than did the Buyids or the Saffarids, all the while continuing to use Arabic for science and religion. They considered themselves to be descendants of the Sasanian Empire. In a famous edict, the Samanids declare that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings."