The ''pushtigban'' was an elite military unit of the Sasanian Empire, charged with the protection of the

Persian Emperor This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranian peoples, Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or King of Kings#Iran, Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes aroun ...

. They were stationed during peacetime in the royal capital of Ctesiphon and were drawn from the best of the ranks of the Sasanian

Savārān cavalry The Aswārān (singular aswār), also spelled Asbārān and Savaran, was a cavalry force that formed the backbone of the army of the Sasanian Empire. They were provided by the aristocracy, were heavily armored, and ranged from archers to catap ...

. They numbered 1000 men, under the command of the ''pushtigban-salar'' ; in battle they fought mostly as

cataphract A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalryman that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. The English word derives from the Greek ' (plural: '), literally meaning "armored" or ...

s, heavily armed and armoured horsemen who would charge enemy positions with tremendous momentum. There are allusions to the participation of this unit in sources describing the

Shapur II's Arab campaign The Shapur II's Arab campaign took place in 325, against numerous Arab tribes, due to the Arab incursions into the Sasanian Empire. Shapur II decisively defeated all the Arab tribes during his campaign, and became known as ''Dhū al-Aktāf'' to the ...

and Siege of Amida (359). A sub-unit of ''pushtigban'' were the ''gyan-avspar'', the "sacrificers of their lives" - the best of the ''pushtigban''. The ''pushtigban'' fought with distinction and zeal befitting their name during Julian's invasion of Persia in the 4th century AD. The ''pushtigban'' disappeared with the

Muslim conquest of Persia The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. Th ...

, that led to the

Fall of the Sasanian Empire The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. The r ...

Bibliography

*Farrokh, Kaveh (2005) ''Sassanian Elite Cavalry, AD224-642''. Osprey Publishing *

References

Guards units of the Sasanian Empire Cavalry units and formations of the Sassanian Empire {{iran-mil-stub no:Udødelige (Persia)

See also

Bibliography

References