The Justanids or Jostanids ( fa, جستانیان) were an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

Zaydi Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

dynasty that ruled a part of

Daylam Daylam, also known in the plural form Daylaman (and variants such as Dailam, Deylam, and Deilam), was the name of a mountainous region of inland Gilan, Iran. It was so named for its inhabitants, known as the Daylamites. The Church of the East es ...

(the mountainous district of Gilan) from 791 to the late 11th century.

History

The Justanids appear as kings of

at the end of the 8th century. Their centre was in the Rudbar of

Alamut Alamut ( fa, الموت) is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts in the western edge of the Alborz (Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of Qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran provinc ...

, running into the valley of the Shahrood. Two centuries later, this had become the main centre of the historical Nizari Ismailis or

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...

(''Hashshashin''), as they are known in the west. They appear in Islamic history as part of what

Vladimir Minorsky Vladimir Fyodorovich Minorsky (russian: Владимир Фёдорович Минорский; – March 25, 1966) was a Russian Orientalist best known for his contributions to the study of Persian, Lurish and Kurdish history, geography, ...

has called "the

Iranian Intermezzo The term Iranian Intermezzo, or Persian Renaissance, represents a period in history which saw the rise of various native Iranian Muslim dynasties in the Iranian Plateau after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Iran and the fall of Sasanian Empir ...

". This refers to a period in which indigenous Daylamite and

Kurdish principalities The Kurdish chiefdoms or principalities were several semi-independent entities which existed during the 16th to 19th centuries during the state of continuous warfare between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran.

took power in northwest Persia after two to three centuries of Arab rule. The Daylamite upsurge eventually culminated in the

Buyid The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Co ...

dynasty. After Marzuban ibn Justan converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

in 805, the ancient family of Justans became connected to the Zaydi Alids of the Daylam region. The Justanids adopted the

form of Shi'ism. In the 10th century, they were eclipsed by the Daylamite dynasty of

Sallarids The Sallarid dynasty ( fa, سالاریان), (also known as the Musafirids or Langarids) was a Muslim dynasty, of Daylami origin, which ruled in Tarom, Samiran, Daylam, Gilan and subsequently Azerbaijan, Arran, and some districts in Eastern Arm ...

in Tarom (modern Iranian province of Zanjan). Nevertheless, the Justanids were tied by marriage with the Sallarids and preserved their seat of Rudbar in the highlands of Daylam. They also became allies with the

Buyids The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Coup ...

. In the 11th century, they may have recognized the suzerainty of the

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwes ...

. Later, they recognized the suzerainty of the Seljuqs, but, shortly after, they fade from history.

Justanid rulers

Justan I Justan may refer to: *Justan I ibn Marzuban I, the Sallarid ruler of Azerbaijan *Justan III, the sixth king of the Justanid dynasty *Justann Crawford (born 1973), retired indigenous Australian Olympic boxer *Kurkir ibn Justan, a Daylamite military ...

(791–805) *

Marzuban of Daylam Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the suffix ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ''Marzbān'') were a class of margraves, warden of the marches, and by extension militar ...

(805–855) * Justan II (855–856) * Vahsudan of Daylam (856–865) * Khurshid of Daylam (865) *

Justan III Justan III was the sixth king of the Justanid dynasty, ruling from 865 to 919. He was the brother and successor of Khurshid of Dailam. Biography Justan is first mentioned in 865, when he was placed on the Justanid throne by his suzerain, the A ...

(865-919) * Ali of Daylam (919) *

Khusrau Firuz Khusrau Firuz was a Justanid king who ruled briefly in 919. He was the brother and successor of Ali of Dailam. Before becoming the ruler of the Justanids, Khusrau Firuz aided his brother Ali in murdering their brother Justan III. Ali then crowned h ...

(919) * Siyahchashm (919–928) *

Justan IV Justan may refer to: * Justan I ibn Marzuban I, the Sallarid ruler of Azerbaijan *Justan III, the sixth king of the Justanid dynasty * Justann Crawford (born 1973), retired indigenous Australian Olympic boxer * Kurkir ibn Justan, a Daylamite milit ...

(928–947) * Manadhar (947–972) * Khusrau Shah (972–1004)

Family tree

References

Sources

* * * *

Clifford Edmund Bosworth Clifford Edmund Bosworth FBA (29 December 1928 – 28 February 2015) was an English historian and Orientalist, specialising in Arabic and Iranian studies. Life Bosworth was born on 29 December 1928 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire (now ...

, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. *Minorsky, Vladimir, Studies in Caucasian History. New York: Taylor's Foreign Press, 1953. * {{cite encyclopedia , title = JOSTANIDS , last = Pezeshk , first = Manouchehr , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jostanids , encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XV, Fasc. 1 , pages = 44–46 , year = 2009 History of Gilan History of Zanjan Province History of Qazvin Province 8th century in Asia 9th century in Asia 10th century in Asia 791 establishments Iranian dynasties History of Talysh