The Usfurids ( ar, آل عصفور, Al ʿUṣfūr) were an
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
dynasty that in 1253 gained control of
Eastern Arabia
Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...
, including the islands of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. They were a branch of
Uqaylids
The Uqaylid dynasty () was a Shia Arab dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira, northern Syria and Iraq in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in Mosul, ruled from 990 to 1096.
History
Rise ...
who re-migrated to Arabia after the fall of their rule in Syria.
Name
The dynasty is named after its founder, ʿUṣfūr bin Rāshid (). The name ''
ʿUṣfūr'' () means small bird''.''
History
They were initially allies of the
Qarmatians and their successors, the
Uyunids, but eventually overthrew the latter and seized power themselves. The Usfurids' takeover came after Uyunid power had been weakened by invasion in 1235 by the
Salghurid Atabeg of Fars.
The Usfurids at the beginning of their rule had a state that composed of central and eastern Arabia and even ruled parts of Oman.
After 150 years of rule the Usfurids were overthrown by the
Jarwanids whom in turn were overthrown by the
Jabrids who were also an Uqaylid dynasty.
See also
*
Yusuf al-Bahrani, descendant of the Usfurid dynasty
*
History of Bahrain: 10th-16th centuries
*
Jarwanid dynasty
*
Uqaylid Dynasty
The Uqaylid dynasty () was a Shia Arab dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira, northern Syria and Iraq in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in Mosul, ruled from 990 to 1096.
History
Rise ...
*
Uyunid dynasty
*
Mirdasids
*
Kalbids
References
External links
ديوان آل عصفورJordan ديوان آل عصفورسايت خاندان آل عصفور در ايران
History of Saudi Arabia
Arab dynasties
Bahraini monarchs
Banu Uqayl
Arab slave owners
{{MEast-hist-stub