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Shirvanshah
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Shirvanshah (Azeri: Sirvansah) also spelled as Shirwan Shah or Sharwan Shah, was the title in mediaeval Islamic times of a Persianized dynasty of Arabic origin. The Shirvanshah established a native Azeri state and were rulers of Shirvan, a historical region in present-day Azerbaijan. The Shirwanshahs were also known by the tile of Kasranids in some period.
title Shirvanshah dates back to pre-Islamic times.
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Shirvanshah (Azeri: Sirvansah) also spelled as Shirwan Shah or Sharwan Shah, was the title in mediaeval Islamic times of a Persianized dynasty of Arabic origin. The Shirvanshah established a native Azeri state and were rulers of Shirvan, a historical region in present-day Azerbaijan. The Shirwanshahs were also known by the tile of Kasranids in some period.
Origin and history
The title Shirvanshah dates back to pre-Islamic times. Ibn Khordadbeh mentions the Shirvanshah as the local ruler who received the title from Sassanid emperor Ardashir. Al-Baladhuri also mentions that Shirvanshah, together with the adjacent potentate, Layzanshah were encountered by Arab invaders of the region and records that Shirwan submitted during the time of Caliph Uthman to the commander Salman b. Rab'ia Al-Bahili.
From the end of the 2nd/8th century, Shirvan was under the rule of the members of the Arab family of Yazid b. Mazyad Shaybani (d. 185/801).
By origin, the Yazidids were Arabs of the Shaybani tribe and belonged to high ranking generals and governors of the Abbassid army. They held a firm grip also on the wider region of Azarbaijan, Arran, Armenia and eastern Caucasus regions. After the death of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, the door for emancipation from the caliphate were slowly opened. The great-grandson of Yazid b. Mazyad Shaybani was Haytham b. Muhammad and he assumed the ancient title of Shirvanshah. The dynasty continuously ruled the area of Shirvan either as an independent state or a vassal state until the Safavid times.
One of the important books in the early history of this dynasty is the anonymous Ta?rikh Bab al-Abwab, preserved by the Ottoman historian Munejjim-Bashi (Chief Astronomer), the last date of which concerning the dynasty is 468/1075. A translation of this important work into English language was published by the orientalist Vladimir Minorsky in 1958. We know from this important book that the history of the Shirvan Shahs was closely tied with that of the Arab Hashimid family in Darband (Bab al-Abwab) and
intermarriage between the two Arab families was common with Yazidis often ruling for various periods in the latter town.
By the time of the anonymous work Hodud al-Alam (circa 982 A.D.), the Shirvan Shahs, from their capital of Yazidiyya (very probably the later Shamakha), had absorbed neighbouring kingdoms north of the Kur river and thus acquired the additional titles of Layzan Shah and Khursan Shah. We can also discern the progressive Persianisation of this originally Arab family. According to Encyclopedia of Islam: After the Shah Yazid b. Ahmad (381-418/991-1028), Arab names give way to Persian ones like Manucihr, ?ubadh, Faridun, etc., very likely as a reflection of marriage links with local families, and possibly with that of the ancient rulers in Shabaran, the former capital, and the Yazidids now began to claim a nasab going back to Sassanid kings Bahram Gur or to Khusraw Anushirwan.. According to Vladimir Minorsky, the most likely explanation of the Iranicisation of this Arab family could be marriage link with the family of the ancient rulers of Shabaran. He further states: The attraction of a Sassanian pedigree proved stronger than the recollection of Shaybani lineage..
Shirvanshahs built many defensive castles across all of Shirvan to resist many foreign invasions. From the walled city of Baku with its Maiden Tower (XII) and many medieval castles in Absheron to impregnable strongholds all over mountains of Shirvan and Shaki, there are many great examples of medieval military architecture. However, Shirvan was greatly devastated by Mongol invasion in 1235, from which it was not able to fully recover for the next century.
The Shirvanshahs dynasty, existing as independent or a vassal state, from 861 until 1538; longer than any other dynasty in Islamic world, are known for their support of culture. There were two periods of an independent and strong Shirvan state: first in XII century, under sultans Manuchehr and Ahsitan who built the stronghold of Baku, and second in XV century under Derbendid dynasty. In XIII and XIV Shirvan was a vassal of stronger Mongol and Timurid empires.
Shirvanshah Ibrahim I revived the country's fortunes, and through his cunning politics managed to resist Timurid conquest, letting the state go with paying a tribute.
Shirvanshahs Khalilullah I and Farrukh Yassar resided over most successful period in a history of Shirvan. Architectural complex of "Shirvanshah palace" in Baku that was also a burial site of the dynasty and Halwatiyya Sufi khaneqa, was build during the reign of those two rulers in mid XV centuries. The Shirvanshah rulers were more or less Sunni. In 1462 Sheykh Junayd, the leader of Safavids, was killed in a battle against Shirvanishans near the town of Khachmaz - an event that Safavids never forgot. By 1500, significantly weakened Shirvan suffered the onslaught of avenging Safavids.
Shah Ismail I sacked Baku in 1501, and, avenging his grandfather, exhumed bodies of Shirvanshahs, buried in the mausoleum and burned them. Most of Baku population was forcibly converted to Shi'ism thereafter.
The vassal Shirvan state managed to hang on until 1538, when, weakened by internal conflict and a Qalandari dervish uprising, it became an easy prey to Shah Ismail's son Tahmasp I. He gave Shirvan to his brother Alqas Mirza to rule as a province.
Persian poetry
The Shirvanshah dynasty are known for their patronage of Persian poetry. Amongst famous poets who either appeared at their court or dedicated poetry to them are Khaghani and Nizami. Nizami composed in Persian poetry the Arab origined epic Lili o Majnoon for Abul-Muzaffar Jalal ad-din Shirvanshah Akhsatan. He also sent his son to be educated with the son of Shirvanshah. Khaghani himself in his youth used the poetic title Haqiqi. After dedicating himself to the court of Fakhr ad-din Manuchehr Fereydoon Shirvanshah (also known as the Khaghan Akbar), he chose the poetic name Khaghani and also served as a court poet for, Akhsatan, the son of Fakhr ad-din Manuchehr Fereydoon. Other poets and writers who appeared during the rule of the Shirvanshahs include Falaki Shirvani, Aziz Shirvani, Jamal Khalil Shirvani, Bakhtiyar Shirvani and multitude of others mentioned in the book Noz-hat ul-Majalis written by Jamal Khalil Shirvani.
Architecture
Palace of the Shirvanshahs (or Shirvanshahs' Palace, ) is the biggest monument of the Shirvan-Absheron branch of architecture, situated in the Inner City of Baku. The complex contains the main building of the palace, Divanhane, the burial-vaults, the shah's mosque with a minaret, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi's mausoleum, a portal in the east - Murad's gate, a reservoir and the remnants of the bath-house.
Shahs of Shirvan lineage
The First line of Yazidi Shahs(861-1382)
(note b. is the shortened for the Arabic ibn (son) ).
The list is mainly taken from with some pronunciation differences on names due to Minorsky's book.
799 A.D. - Yazid b. Mazyad al-Shaybani, governor of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Arran, Sharwan and Bab al-Abwab , d. 801 A.D.
820 A.D. - Khalid b. Yazid, died 843 or 845.
845 A.D. - Muhammed b. Khalid, governor of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Arran and Sharwan, resident in Arran, d. 845.
Haytham b. Khalid, independent in Sharwan as the Sharwan Shah.
Muhammad b. Haytham, in Layzan
Haytham b. Muhammad, in Layzan
Before 913 A.D. - Ali b. Haytham, in Layzan, deposed in 917.
916 A.D. - Yazid b. Muhammad b. Yazid, Abu Tahir, in Sharwan, latterly also n Bab al-Abwab(Darband)
948 A.D. - Muhammad b. Yazid
956 A.D. - Ahmad b. Muhammad
981 A.D. - Muhammad b. Ahmad
991 A.D. - Yazid b. Ahmad
1028 A.D. - Manuchihr b. Yazid
1034 A.D. - Ali b. Yazid, Abu Mansur
1043 A.D. - Qubadh b. Yazid
1049 A.D. - Bukhtnassar Ali b. Ahmad b. Yazid
1053 A.D. - Sallar b. Yazid
1063 A.D. - Fariburz b. Sallar b. Yazid
1094 A.D. - Fereydun b. Fariburz, d. 1120 A.D.
1094 A.D. - Manuchehr II b. Fariburz, immediate predecessor or successor of Fariburz or possibly contemporaneous ruler of Sharwan during the time of Fereydun.
1120 A.D. - Manuchehr III b. Fereydun
1160 A.D. - Akhsatan I ibn Manuchehr III, died between 1197 and 1204.
1179 A.D. - Shahanshah b. Manuchehr III, possibly a contemporaneous ruler with Akhsatan, do 1204 A.D.
1187 A.D. - Fereydun II b. Manuchehr III, possibly a contemporaneous ruler with his brother, to 1204 A.D.
After 1187 A.D. - Fariburz II b. Fereydun II, also a possible contemporaneous ruler with his father and/or uncles.
After 1187 A.D. - Farrukhzad I b. Manuchehr III, also a possible contemporaneous ruler with his nephew and/or brothers to 1225 A.D.
after 1204 A.D. - Garrshasp I b. Farrukhzad
1255 A.D. - AkhsatanII b. Fariburz III
1258 A.D. - Garshasp II or Gushnasp b. Akhsatan II
1265 A.D. - Farrukhzad II b. Akhsatan II
... (some information is lacking on this period)
1345 A.D. - Kay Qubadh
1348 A.D. - Kay Kawus b. Kay Qubadh
1372 or 1378 or 1382 A.D. - Hushang b. Kay Kawus
The second line of Shahs (1382-1538)
1378 A.D. - Ibrahim I b. Muhammad b. Kay Qubadh
1418 A.D. - Khalil b. [Ibrahim I of Shirvan|Ibrahim I]
1463 A.D. - Farrukhsiyar b. Khalil I
1500 A.D. - Bayram/Bahram b. Farrukhsiyar
1502 A.D. - Ghazi b. Farrukhsiyar
1503 A.D. - Mahmud b. Ghazi
1503 A.D. - Ibrahim II or Shaykh Shah, uncle of Mahmud b. Ghazi
1524 A.D. - Khalil II b. Ibrahim II
1535 A.D. - Shah Rukh b. Farrukh b. Ibrahim II, k. 1539
1538 A.D. - Safawid occupation
1544 A.D. - Abortive revanche by Burhan b. Ali b. Khalil II, d. 1551.
1551 A.D. - Safawid occupation.
1579 A.D. - Abu Bakr b. Burhan Ali as governor for the Ottomons.
1607 A.D. - Safawid rule definitely established.
Nowadays - after occupation families of some Shirvanshah princes moved to Turkey and Europe and some stayed in Shamakhi. Nowadays there are some in Shamakhi and Baku.
See also
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