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YearMaps
Early Middle Ages886 CE – 999 CEPeak: 3.3M km² (916 CE)

Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty: Map & History

The Samanid Empire was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian dehqan origin, from 819 to 999.

3.5
886 CEDrag timeline:916 CE999 CE
886 CE
925 CE
950 CE
975 CE
999 CE
Peak Extent: 3.3M km²Vector Attribution: Cliopatria (CC BY 4.0)Wikidata: Q486181 ↗
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Wikipedia: Samanid Empire
Samanid Empire historical cartography
819–999 Sunni Iranian empire in Central Asia

The Samanid Empire was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian dehqan origin, from 819 to 999. The empire was centred in Khorasan and Transoxiana, and at its greatest extent included northeastern Iran and Central Asia.

Common Languages
Sogdian and other Eastern Iranian languages (as a vernacular)
State Governance
Hereditary monarchy
Historical Religion
Sunni Islam, Minority religions: Shia Islam, Zoroastrianism
Peak Territory
2850000
Key Dynasts / Leaders
Ahmad ibn Asad, Abd al-Malik II
Preceded By
Saffarid dynasty, Abbasid Caliphate
Succeeded By
Ghaznavid dynasty, Karakhanids, Banu Ilyas
Content & infobox metadata adapted from Wikipedia (Samanid Empire)

Modern Countries Once Part of Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty

At its mapped extent, Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty covered territory in 9 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.

Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.

Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty in Depth

History

The Samanid dynasty was descended from Saman Khuda, a dehqan of Iranian origin from the village of Saman in Balkh province, in present-day northern Afghanistan. The earliest appearance of the Samanid family appears to be in Khorasan rather than Transoxiana. In some sources, the Samanids claimed to be descended from the House of Mihran of Bahram Chobin. This claim is further supported by a geographical treatise from the second half of the 8th century, compiled by five Tuyuhun men and translated into the Tibetan language. In this chronicle, it is mentioned that the descendants of Bahram Chobin migrated to Balkh and settled there. According to Lev Gumilev, they were considered the ancestors of the Samanids.

Culture

The system of the Samanid state was modelled after the Abbasid system, which in turn was modelled after the Sasanian system. The ruler of the state was the amir, and the provinces were governed by appointed governors or local vassal rulers. The administrative, political and economic affairs were administered by the divan, and the Samanid bureaucracy used Arabic in its diplomatic discourses. The economy was managed by the mustawfi, diplomatic correspondence and important state papers by the diwanal-rasa'il, and the royal guard and military affairs by the sahib al-shurta. The main responsibility of both governors and local rulers was to collect taxes and support the Samanid ruler with troops if needed.

Legacy

"Where have all the great Sasanians gone?From the Bahrāmids to the Samanids what has come upon?"

A Bukharan historian writing in 943 stated that Ismail Samani: was indeed worthy and right for padishahship. He was an intelligent, just, compassionate person, one possessing reason and prescience...he conducted affairs with justice and good ethics. Whoever tyrannized people he would punish...In affairs of state he was always impartial.

The celebrated scholar Nizam al-Mulk, in his famous work Siyasatnama, stated that Ismail Samani: was extremely just, and his good qualities were many. He had pure faith in God (to Him be power and glory) and he was generous to the poor – to name only one of his notable virtues.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Samanid Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty: Key Facts

Key facts about Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty
Official languagesPersian, Arabic
ReligionSunni Islam
Founded819 CE
Dissolved999 CE

Facts from Wikidata Q486181 (CC0).

Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty Timeline

Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion

1 Epochs
Territorial Apex916 CE

Expansion to peak recorded area of 3,315,103 km² in 916 CE.

Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty: Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty exist?

The Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty is dated to 886 CE – 999 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.

How large was the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty at its peak?

At its peak in 916 AD the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty covered about 3,315,103 km².