Surkhab I (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: سهراب) was the second ruler of the

Bavand dynasty The Bavand dynasty () (also spelled Bavend), or simply the Bavandids, was an Iranian dynasty that ruled in parts of Tabaristan (present-day Mazandaran province) in what is now northern Iran from 651 until 1349, alternating between outright inde ...

from ca. 673 to 717. He was the son of Farrukhzad, a

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

n nobleman from the Ispahbudhan family, a family which had a long story of service to the

Sasanians 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 ...

, tracing his descent back to

Bawi Bawi was a Sasanian military officer from the Ispahbudhan family who was involved in the Anastasian War and the Iberian War between the Sasanian and Byzantine Empire. He is also known as Aspebedes, which is a corruption of the title ''spahbed''. ...

. Surkhab also had four brothers named Isfandyadh, Shahram, Bahram, and Farrukhan. In 665, Farrukhzad was murdered by a Karenid named Valash, who then had his domains conquered. After the murder of his father, Surkhab fled to a Bavand stronghold in

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

. In 673, Surkhab avenged his father by killing Valash, and then reconquered lost Bavand territory. He then crowned himself as '' ispahbadh'' of the Bavandids at his capital in

Perim Perim (), also called Mayyun () in Arabic, is a Yemeni volcanic island in the Strait of Mandeb at the south entrance into the Red Sea, off the south-west coast of Yemen. It administratively belongs to Dhubab District or Bab al-Mandab District ...

. Surkhab died in 717, and was succeeded by his son Mihr Mardan.

Sources

* * * Bavand dynasty 7th-century monarchs in Asia 8th-century monarchs in Asia 8th-century Iranian people 7th-century Iranian people 717 deaths Year of birth unknown Zoroastrian monarchs {{iran-royal-stub