The Justanids or Jostanids () 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 ...

Zaydi Zaydism () is a branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali's unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. Zaydism is one of the three main branches of Shi'ism, with the other two being Twelverism ...

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

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 Ea ...

(the mountainous district of

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

) 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, running into the valley of the Shahrood. Two centuries later, this had become the main centre of the historical Nizari Ismailis or Assassins (''Hashshashin''), as they are known in the west. They appear in Islamic history as part of what

Vladimir Minorsky Vladimir Fyodorovich Minorsky (; – 25 March 1966) was a White Russian academic, historian, and scholar of Oriental studies, best known for his contributions to the study of history of Iran and the Iranian peoples such as Persians, Lurs, and ...

has called "the

Iranian Intermezzo The Iranian Intermezzo, also called the Persian Renaissance, was a period in Iranian history marked by the rise to power of the first Iranian Muslim dynasties. Beginning nearly 200 years after the Arab conquest of Iran and lasting until the mi ...

". This refers to a period in which indigenous Daylamite and Kurdish principalities took power in northwest Persia after two to three centuries of Arab rule. The Daylamite upsurge eventually culminated in the

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 ...

dynasty. After Marzuban ibn Justan converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

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

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...

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

Justanid rulers

* Justan I (791–805) * Marzuban of Daylam (805–855) * Justan II (855–856) * Vahsudan of Daylam (856–865) * Khurshid of Daylam (865) * Justan III (865–919) * Ali of Daylam (919) * Khusrau Firuz (919) * Siyahchashm (919–928) * Justan IV (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 Dynasties in Persia and Iran History of Talysh