Caspian coast of Iran during the Iranian intermezzo

Adhar Valash 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 ...

prince 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 ruled

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 ...

and

Gurgan Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

under the authority of the last

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 ...

emperor

Yazdegerd III Yazdegerd III (also Romanized as ''Yazdgerd'', ''Yazdgird'') was the last Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar (son of Khosrow II), Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II. Ascending the throne a ...

(). The name of ''Adhar Valash'' is a combination of ''ādur/ādar'' ("fire") and the personal name of ''Walāxš'' (also spelled ''Walākhsh''). A descendant of the prominent 6th-century statesman

Bozorgmehr Bozorgmehr-e Bokhtagan (Middle Persian: ''Wuzurgmihr ī Bōkhtagān''), also known as Burzmihr, Dadmihr and Dadburzmihr, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian sage and dignitary from the House of Karen, Karen family, who served as minister (''Wuzurg fr ...

, Adhar Valash had been given control over the provinces 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 ...

. Not long after, his domain was threatened by the Gil Gavbara, a great-grandson of the 5th-century Sasanian ruler

Jamasp Jamasp (also spelled Zamasp or Djamasp; ; ''Jāmāsp'') was Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 496 to 498/9. He was a son of Peroz I and younger brother of Kavad I. Jamasp was installed on the Sasanian throne upon the deposition of the latter ...

(). Adhar Valash requested the aid of Yazdegerd III, who, however, after being informed of Gil Gavbara's Sasanian descent, ordered Adhar Valash to submit to the latter. Some time afterwards, Adhar Valash died during a game of

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

after falling from his horse. A grandson of Adhar Valash, also named

Valash Valash (Middle Persian: ''Wardākhsh/Walākhsh'', ), was an Iranian prince from the House of Karen, who later became the ruler of Tabaristan in 665. He was the grandson of the nobleman Adhar Valash, and thus a descendant of Sukhra, a prominent Ira ...

, ruled Tabaristan from 665 to 673.

References

Sources

* * {{cite book , last = Ibn Isfandiyar , first = Muhammad ibn al-Hasan , author-link = Ibn Isfandiyar , title = An Abridged Translation of the History of Tabaristan, Compiled About A.H. 613 (A.D. 1216). , others = Trans. Edward G. Browne. , publisher = E.J. Brill , location = Leyden , year = 1905 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HhNgAAAAMAAJ House of Karen 7th-century Iranian people 7th-century deaths Year of birth unknown