Samanid mausoleum (between 892 and 943) in Bukhara, Uzbekistan (photo 2003). The Samanid mausoleum is located in the historical urban nucleus of the city of Bukhara, in a park laid out on the site of an ancient cemetery Bukhara (Buxoro Бухоро بُخارا Бухара also spelled as Bukhoro and Bokhara, from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly

The Samanids (819–999)^[1] (Persian: سامانیان Sāmāniyān) were a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman Khuda who converted to Sunni Islam^[2] despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Greater Khorasan (خراسان بزرگ (also written Khorasaan, Khurasan and Khurasaan) is a modern term for eastern territories of ancient Persia Saman Khuda ( Saman Khoda, Saman-khudat) is the founder of the Samanid dynasty – The House of Saman. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings

Domination

Asia in 900 AD, showing the Samanid Empire at its height.

The Samanid period is considered the beginning of the Tajik nation (which was a part of Greater Iran). Tajik ( - Tādjīk; UniPers: Tâjik; Cyrillic: Тоҷик is a term generally applied to Persian-speaking people of Greater Iran (in Irān-e Bozorg, or fa ایران‌زمین Irān-zamīn; the Encyclopedia Iranica uses the term ^[3] Their rule lasted for 180 years, and their territory encompassed Khorasan, Ray, Transoxiania, Tabaristan, Kerman, Gorgan, and the area west of these provinces up to Isfahan. See Rayshahr for the Sassanid center of learning in Fars province Transoxiana (sometimes spelled Transoxania "河中“Chinese / Ma Wara'un-Nahr ( Arabic: ما وراء النهر / Farārood (فرارود Kerman (کرمان is a city in Iran. It is the center of Kerman province. Gorgan ( Persian: گرگان Caspian: Vergen is the capital of the Golestan Province, Iran. Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan or Hispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān To legitimize the dynasty, the Samanids claimed to be descendants of Bahram Chobin,^[4] and thus descended from the House of Mihrān, one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran. Bahram Chobin (Chubin Chobina (in Persian بهرام چوبین was a famous Eran spahbod (military commander during Khosrau II 's rule in Sassanid The House of Mihrān was an Iranian noble family one of the Seven Great Houses of the Sassanid Empire which claimed descent from the earlier Arsacid The Seven Parthian clans or Seven Houses (in Persian "Haft Khandan" were seven purportedly "Parthian" feudal aristocracies allied with the Sassanid In governing their territory, the Samanids modeled their state organization after the Abbasids, mirroring the caliph's court and organization. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah ^[5] They were rewarded for supporting the Abbasids in Transoxania and Khorasan, and with their established capitals located in Bukhara, Samarkand, and Herat, they carved their kingdom after defeating the Saffarids. Transoxiana (sometimes spelled Transoxania "河中“Chinese / Ma Wara'un-Nahr ( Arabic: ما وراء النهر / Farārood (فرارود Bukhara (Buxoro Бухоро بُخارا Бухара also spelled as Bukhoro and Bokhara, from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of area3018 sq mi Herāt ( classically called the Aria, is a city in western Afghanistan, in the province also known as Herāt. The Saffarid dynasty ( Persian: سلسله صفاریان ruled a empire in Sistan, which is a historical region now in southeastern Iran and southwestern ^[6]

With their roots stemming from the city of Balkh,^[7] the Samanids promoted the arts, giving rise to the advancement of science and literature, and thus attracted scholars such as Rudaki and Avicenna. Balkh ( - Balḫ) also known as Bactra, was once a major world city but was destroyed entirely by the Mongols. Abdullah Jafar Ibn Mohammad Rudaki, (ابوعبدالله جعفر ابن محمد رودکی entitledآدم الشعرا Ādam ul-Shoara or Adam of Poets also written TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> ( Persian /ابو علی الحسین ابن عبدالله ابن سینا (born While under Samanid control, Bukhara was a rival to Baghdad in its glory. Bukhara (Buxoro Бухоро بُخارا Бухара also spelled as Bukhoro and Bokhara, from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous ^[8] Scholars note that the Samanids revived Persian more than the Buyids and the Saffarids, while continuing to patronize Arabic to a significant degree. The Buyids (آل بویه Āl-e Buye, Caspian: Bowyiyün also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shī‘ah Iranian The Saffarid dynasty ( Persian: سلسله صفاریان ruled a empire in Sistan, which is a historical region now in southeastern Iran and southwestern Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language ^[9] Nevertheless, in a famous edict, Samanid authorities declared that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings. "^[10]

Cultural and religious legacy

Samanid era art: Bowl with white slip, incised design, colored, and glazed. Excavated at Sabz Pushan, Neishapur, Iran. Nishapur, or Neyshābūr ( is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. 9th-early 10th century. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City,

The Samanids not only revived Persian culture but they also determinedly propagated Sunni Islam. To best understand Iran and its people one must first attempt to acquire an understanding of its ancient culture Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. In doing so, the Samanids repressed Ismaili Shiism^[11] but remained tolerant of Twelver Shiism. For the Egyptian city see Ismaïlia. The Ismāʿīlī ( Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Arabic: الإسماعيليون See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam ^[12] The Samanid state became a staunch patron of Islamic architecture and spread the Islamo-Persian culture deep into the heart of Central Asia. The population within its areas began firmly accepting Islam in significant numbers, notably in Taraz, now in modern day Kazakhstan. Taraz ( Тараз) formerly Talas, Zhambyl (Kazakh Жамбы́л and Aulie-Ata (Kazakh Әулие́-Ата Chagatai: اولياه Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the According to historians, through the zealous missionary work of Samanid rulers, as many as 200,000 tents of Turks came to profess Islam,^[13] under the Hanafi school of thought. The Turkish people (Türk Halkı also known as " Turks " ( Türkler) are defined mainly as being speakers of Turkish as a First language For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The Hanafi ( Arabic حنفي school is the oldest of the four schools of thought ( Madhhabs ^[14] The mass conversion of the Turks to Islam eventually led to a growing influence of the Ghaznavids, who would later rule the region. The Ghaznavid Empire was a Khorāṣānian Sunni Muslim state founded by a dynasty of Turkic Mamluk.

Another lasting contribution of the Samanids to the history of Islamic art is the pottery known as Samanid Epigraphic Ware: plates, bowls, and pitchers fired in a white slip and decorated only with calligraphy, often elegantly and rhythmically written. The Arabic phrases used in this calligraphy are generally more or less generic well wishes, or Islamic admonitions to good table manners. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. In 999 their realm was conquered by the Karakhanids. This article refers to the Turkic state Kara-Khanid Khanate (also designated as Qarakhanids

Under Ghaznavid rule, the Shahnameh, was completed. Shāhnāmé, or Shāhnāma ((alternative spellings are Shahnama Shahnameh Shahname Shah-Nama, etc In commending the Samanids, the epic Persian poet Ferdowsi says of them:

کجا آن بزرگان ساسانیان
زبهرامیان تا بسامانیان

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

Samanid Amirs

• Saman Khuda
• Asad ibn Saman
• Yahya ibn Asad (819-855)
• Nasr I (864 - 892) (Effectively independent 875)
• Ismail (892 - 907)
• Ahmad II (907 - 914)
• Nasr II (914 - 943)
• Hamid Nuh I (943 - 954)
• Abdul Malik I (954 - 961)
• Mansur I (961 - 976)
• Nuh II (976 - 997)
• Mansur II (997 - 999)
• 'Abd al-Malik II (999)

See also

• History of Iran
• Full list of Iranian Kingdoms
• History of Arabs in Afghanistan

Notes