Sunpadh (; also spelled Sunpad and Sunbadh) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

nobleman from the

House of Karen The House of Karen (; ; , or ), also known as Karen-Pahlav (), was one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran during the rule of Parthian and Sasanian Empires. The seat of the dynasty was at Nahavand, about 65 km south of Ecbatana (present-day ...

, who incited an uprising against the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

in the 8th century.

Background

Sunpadh was a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

nobleman, who was a native of a village called Ahan in

Nishapur Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...

, Khorasan. He most likely belonged to the ancient

, formerly one of the seven great houses of the pre-Islamic Parthian and

Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

eras. Khorasan had originally been a fief of the Karenids, but the family lost control of the province at the battle of Nishapur during the

Arab conquest of Iran As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...

, thus forcing many Karenid nobles to withdraw to Tabaristan, where a branch of the family, the

Qarinvand dynasty The Qarinvand dynasty (also spelled Karenvand and Qarenvand), or simply the Karenids, was an Iranian dynasty that ruled in parts of Tabaristan (Mazandaran) in northern Iran from the 550s until the 11th-century. They considered themselves as the ...

, had managed to withstand the Arab incursions.

Revolt

Following the betrayal and subsequent death of the Iranian general Abu Muslim by the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ‎; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...

(r. 754–775) in 755, the enraged Sunpadh revolted. He captured the cities of Nishapur, Qumis, and Ray, and was called ''"Firuz ispahbadh"'' ("the victorious ''ispahbadh''"). At Ray, he seized the treasuries of Abu Muslim. Most of his supporters were from

Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...

and

Tabaristan Tabaristan or Tabarestan (; ; from , ), was a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. It corresponded to the present-day province of Mazandaran, which became the predominant name of the area from the 11th-century onward ...

—the Dabuyid ruler, Khurshid (r. 740–760), supported the anti-Abbasid rebellion of Sunpadh, and was in return given a part of Abu Muslim's treasure. According to

Nizam al-Mulk Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...

, Ibn al-Athir, and Mirkhvand, Sunpadh swore to march on

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and destroy the

Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

. However, according to

Patricia Crone Patricia Crone (28 March 1945 – 11 July 2015) was a Danish historian specialising in early Islamic history. Crone was a member of the revisionist school of Islamic studies and questioned the historicity of the Islamic traditions about the be ...

, this is unlikely, who says "the idea that he should have rushed off in anger from Nishapur in order singlehandedly to bring down the caliphate and Islam is absurd." Other sources state that Sunpadh declared himself as a prophet, and disagreed on Abu Muslim's death, claiming to be his mediator. Sunpadh allegedly further preached that "Abu Muslim has not died, and when Mansur meant to slay him, he chanted God's great name, turned into a white dove and flew away. Now he is standing with

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

and

Mazdak Mazdak (, Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭦𐭣𐭪, also Mazdak the Younger; died c. 524 or 528) was an Iranian Zoroastrian '' mobad'' (priest) and religious reformer who gained influence during the reign of the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I. He claimed to ...

in a castle of copper and they shall emerge by and by." This, however, is a misrepresentation of Sunpadh, whose intention by revolting, was most likely to remove the Muslims from power. A force of 10,000 Abbasid troops under Jahwar ibn Marrar al-Ijli was shortly sent towards Sunpadh—they clashed between

Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...

and Ray, where Sunpadh was defeated and routed. According to the historian Ibn Isfandiyar, countless of Abu Muslim's and Sunpadh's supporters were killed in the defeat that their bones were still noticeable in 912. Sunpadh then fled to Tabaristan, but was killed there by one of Khurshid's cousins, ostensibly because he had failed to show the man proper respect. It is possible, however, that the murder was instigated by Khurshid, in the hope of acquiring the remainder of Abu Muslim's treasure.

References

Sources

* * * * {{cite encyclopedia , article = Kārin, last = Pourshariati , first = Parvaneh , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/karin , encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica , year = 2017 People from Nishapur 8th-century Iranian people Rebels from the Abbasid Caliphate Iranian rebels House of Karen 755 deaths Iranian Zoroastrians Persia under the Abbasid Caliphate