Muhammad was second
Shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
of
Layzan whose father was first
Layzanshah
Layzānshah () or Shah of Layzān was a historical title given to the lords of Layzan. According to Vladimir Minorsky, the title was first granted to local rulers by their Sassanid Persian overlords, medieval authors specifically mentioning Anush ...
Yazid ibn Khalid, a member of junior branch of
Yazidids. He was nephew of first independent
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
Haytham I.
Nothing about his reign is known in sources except for that his "rule lasted a long time, his prestige grew and his affairs prospered". He was thought to be a
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
earlier because of a confusing note left by
al-Masudi
al-Masʿūdī (full name , ), –956, was a historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus of the Arabs". A polymath and prolific author of over twenty works on theology, history (Islamic and universal), geo ...
who mentioned that it was Muhammad ibn Yazid that annexed principalities of Khursān (lands south to
Derbent
Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...
) and Vardān (north of
Quba
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District (Azerbaijan), Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Shahdagh, Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the ...
). According to
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 ...
, this confusion is a result of both father and son of
Abu Tahir Yazid
Abu Tahir Yazid () or Yazid I was sixth Shah of Shirvan and third Shah of Layzan.
Reign
He was reigning as Layzanshah as heir of his father Muhammad. He attacked Shirvan and captured its ruler Ali I alongside his son Abbas and grandson Abu B ...
having same name.
Muhammad of Layzan was clearly from a different branch and not Shirvanshah
and probably died .
References
Sources
*
{{Shirvanshahs