The Banu Ilyas () or Ilyasids were 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 ...

dynasty of

Sogdia Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemen ...

n origin which ruled

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

from 932 until 968. Their capital was Bardasir.

Muhammad b. Ilyas

Abu 'Ali Muhammad b. Ilyas was a member of the

Samanid The Samanid Empire () was a Persianate society, Persianate Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian ''dehqan'' origin. The empire was centred in Greater Khorasan, Khorasan and Transoxiana, at its greatest ...

army and was of Sogdian origin. He supported the failed 929 coup against the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad. After the rebellion failed he fled south, eventually arriving at Kerman in 932. He managed to extend his control over the northern part of the province, while the southern and eastern mountainous portions remained under the control of the local Koch and Baloch . Despite Samanid and later

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

attempts to expel him from Kerman, he succeeded in maintaining his rule there for over thirty years. He acknowledged either the Samanids or the Buyids as his overlords but was effectively independent. In 967 he suffered a stroke and was eventually compelled to abdicate in favor of his son Ilyasa.

Ilyasa b. Muhammad

Ilyasa b. Muhammad quickly angered the neighboring Buyids under 'Adud al-Daula by arguing over some territory on the border of Kerman and Fars. Before invading Kerman, 'Adud made sure to win over members of Ilyasa's army. This strategy was effective; when he did invade and capture Bardasir, the bulk of Ilyasa's army deserted him. Control of Kerman was transferred nominally to 'Adud's son Abu'l Fawaris Shirzil, while 'Adud's general Gorgir ( Kurkir) was given real control. Ilyasa fled to

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

, where the Samanids welcomed him, but he aroused their hostility by complaining that they would not help him retake Kerman. He was expelled from Bukhara to

Khwarazm Khwarazm (; ; , ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the east by the Kyzylkum Desert, on the south by th ...

, while the governor of Khurasan seized the possessions of Ilyasa's that he had left in Kuhistan. In Khwarazm Ilyasa was stricken with

sympathetic ophthalmia Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO), also called spared eye injury, is a diffuse granulomatous inflammation of the uveal layer of both eyes following trauma to one eye. It can leave the affected person completely blind. Symptoms may develop from days to s ...

and he soon died.

Sulaiman b. Muhammad

In 969 or 970 Ilyasa's brother Sulaiman, who had fled to the Samanids before the Buyid conquest due to a quarrel with his father, convinced the Samanid amir Mansur b. Nuh to supply him an army to reconquer Kerman. His hope was that he could gain the support of the Koch and Baloch. Gorgir moved to stop them, and in the ensuing battle between Jiroft and Bam, Sulaiman, two of Ilyasa's sons, Bakr and al-Husain, and a large portion of the Khurasanian troops were killed.

Al-Husain

One more attempt by the Ilyasids to retake Kerman occurred in 975 by a nephew or possibly son of Muhammad, al-Husain. Al-Husain, learning of a rebellion in Kerman, traveled from Khurasan and took control of part of the rebelling forces. 'Adud al-Duala's vizier Abu'l-Qasim al-Mutahhar b. 'Abdallah was sent to restore order to the province; he defeated al-Husain in Jiruft and captured him. Nothing more is heard of him and his capture marked the definite end of the Ilyasids in

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Bosworth, C. E. "The Banu Ilyas of Kirman." ''Iran and Islam.'' Edited by C. E. Bosworth. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1971. *Kabir, Mazifullah. ''The Buwayhid dynasty of Baghdad, 334/946-447/1055.'' Calcutta: Iran Society, 1964.