() is a title and/or
military rank
Military ranks is a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, Intelligence agency, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military organisation , military lines, such ...
of
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 ...
origin, a compound of ("head, chief") and ("an army division"). In modern usage in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, is the equivalent of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
.
History
The origin of the title may date back at least to the
Parthian period.
In the
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 ...
period, it was a rank in the hierarchy of the cavalry force. In the medieval period, has been defined as "a heroic man, a brave fighter, a night-guard". According to
Ibn al-Balkhi, the rank was immediately below . In , the title is ranked below . In early Islamic period, the title appears together with , and a related title, , seems to belong to the leaders of the hierarchy of . According to Bosworth, s were separate from s, and were probably fighters with outstanding leadership or fighting qualities that were recruited from the latter.
Historical figures recorded as bearing this title include:
*
Jalinus of the late
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
* Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Tālūt (), serving the caliph
Al-Musta'in
Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Mustaʿīn bi-ʾllāh (; 836 – 17 October 866), better known by his regnal title al-Mustaʿīn (836 – 17 October 866) was the Abbasid caliph from 862 to 866, during the "Anarchy at ...
* Wazīr ibn Ayyūb (), serving the ''amīr'' of
Khurasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...
* Kharra Khusraw (), son of
Badhan (per
al-Tabari
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...
)
* Bu-Ali Kutwal (), a Ghaznavid officer
[ in '' Tarikh-i Bayhaqi'']
References
Military ranks of Iran
Sasanian military offices
Persian words and phrases
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