Shirvanshah

Mazyadi/Kasrani/Darbandi
Coat of Arms of the Shirvanshahs[1]
Country	Shirvan Layzan Dagestan
Titles	Shah of Shirvan Shah of Layzan Emir of Derbent
Founded	799
Founder	Yazid b. Mazyad al-Shaybani
Final ruler	Abu Bakr Mirza
Dissolution	1607
Cadet branches	Shervashidze House of Black Monk

Shirvanshah (Persian: شروانشاه‎‎, Azerbaijani: Şirvanşah) also spelled as Shīrwān Shāh or Sharwān Shāh, was the title of the Muslim rulers of Shirvan, located in modern Azerbaijan Republic, from the mid-9th century to the early 16th century. The title remained in a single family, the Yazidids, an originally Arab but gradually Persianized dynasty, although the later Shirvanshahs are also known as the Kasranids or Kaqanids.^[2][3] The Shirvanshah established a native state in Shirvan (located in modern Azerbaijan Republic).^[4]

Origin and history

The battle between Shah Farrukh Yassar of Shirvan and Shah Ismail of Persia

The title Shirvanshah dates back to pre-Islamic times. Ibn Khordadbeh mentions the Shirvanshah as one of the local rulers who received their title from the first Sassanid emperor, Ardashir I.^[2][3] Al-Baladhuri also mentions that a Shirvanshah, together with the neighbouring Layzanshah, were encountered by the Arabs during their conquest of Persia, and submitted to the Arab commander Salman ibn Rab'ia al-Bahili.^[2][3]

From the late 8th century, Shirvan was under the rule of the members of the Arab family of Yazid ibn Mazyad al-Shaybani (d. 801), who was named governor of the region by the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.^[3][5] His descendants, the Yazidids, would rule Shirvan as independent princes until the 14th century.^[3] By origin, the Yazidids were Arabs of the Shayban tribe and belonged to high ranking generals and governors of the Abbasid army.^[5] In the chaos that engulfed the Abbasid Caliphate after the death of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil in 861, the great-grandson of Yazid b. Mazyad Shaybani, Haytham ibn Khalid, declared himself independent and assume the ancient title of Shirvanshah. The dynasty continuously ruled the area of Shirvan either as an independent state or a vassal state until the Safavid times.^[2]

One of the important books in the early history of this dynasty is the anonymous Taʾrikh Bab al-Abwab ("History of Darband"), preserved by the Ottoman historian Münejjim Bashi (Chief Astronomer), the last date of which concerning the dynasty is 468/1075. A translation of this important work into English language was published by the orientalist Vladimir Minorsky in 1958.^[5][6] We know from this book that the history of the Shirvan Shahs was closely tied with that of the Arab Hashimid family in Darband (Bab al-Abwab) and intermarriage between the two Arab families was common with Yazidis often ruling for various periods in the latter town.^[2]

By the time of the anonymous work Hodud al-Alam (c. 982 AD), the Shirvan Shahs, from their capital of Yazīdiyya (the later Shamakhi), had absorbed neighbouring kingdoms north of the Kur river and thus acquired the additional titles of Layzan Shah and Khursan Shah.^[2] We can also discern the progressive Persianisation of this originally Arab family.^[2] According to Encyclopedia of Islam: After the Shah Yazid b. Ahmad (381-418/991-1028), Arab names give way to Persian ones like Manūčihr, Ḳubādh, Farīdūn, etc., very likely as a reflection of marriage links with local families, and possibly with that of the ancient rulers in Shābarān, the former capital, and the Yazidids now began to claim a nasab (lineage) going back to Sassanid kings Bahrām Gūr or to Khusraw Anushirwan.^[2] According to Vladimir Minorsky, the most likely explanation of the Iranicisation of this Arab family could be marriage link with the family of the ancient rulers of Shabaran.^[5] He further states: The attraction of a Sassanian pedigree proved stronger than the recollection of Shaybani lineage.^[5] The coat of arms with two lions could be a reminder of the story of Bahrām Gur in Shahnama where Bahrām had to claim the crown from between two lions to be recognized as the king.

Shirvanshahs built many defensive castles across all of Shirvan to resist many foreign invasions. From the walled city of Baku with its Maiden Tower (XII) and many medieval castles in Absheron to impregnable strongholds all over mountains of Shirvan and Shaki, there are many great examples of medieval military architecture. However, Shirvan was greatly devastated by Mongol invasion in 1235, from which it was not able to fully recover for the next century.

The Shirvanshahs dynasty, existing as independent or a vassal state, from 861 until 1538; longer than any other dynasty in Islamic world, are known for their support of culture. There were two periods of an independent and strong Shirvan state: first in the 12th century, under kings Manuchehr and his son, Akhsitan I who built the stronghold of Baku, and second in the 15th century under Derbendid dynasty. In the 13th and 14th centuries Shirvan was a vassal of stronger Mongol and Timurid empires.

Shirvanshah Ibrahim I revived the country's fortunes, and through his cunning politics managed to resist Timurid conquest, letting the state go with paying a tribute.

Shirvanshahs Khalilullah I and Farrukh Yassar presided over most successful period in a history of Shirvan. Architectural complex of "Shirvanshah palace" in Baku that was also a burial site of the dynasty and Halwatiyya Sufi khaneqa, was built during the reign of those two rulers in mid 15th centuries. The Shirvanshah rulers were more or less Sunni. In 1462 Sheykh Junayd, the leader of Safavids, was killed in a battle against Shirvanishans near the town of Khachmaz – an event that Safavids never forgot. By 1500, significantly weakened Shirvan suffered the onslaught of avenging Safavids.

Shah Ismail I sacked Baku in 1501, and, avenging his grandfather, exhumed bodies of Shirvanshahs, buried in the mausoleum and burned them. Most of Baku population was forcibly converted to Shi'ism thereafter.

The vassal Shirvan state managed to hang on until 1538, when, weakened by internal conflict and a Qalandari dervish uprising, it became an easy prey to Shah Ismail's son Tahmasp I. He gave Shirvan to his brother Alqas Mirza to rule as a province.

Persian poetry

The Shirvanshah dynasty are known for their patronage of Persian poetry. Amongst famous poets who either appeared at their court or dedicated poetry to them are Khaghani and Nizami. Nizami composed in Persian poetry the Arab origined epic Lili o Majnoon for Abul-Muzaffar Jalal ad-din Shirvanshah Akhsatan. He also sent his son to be educated with the son of Shirvanshah. Khaghani himself in his youth used the poetic title Haqiqi. After dedicating himself to the court of Fakhr ad-din Manuchehr Fereydoon Shirvanshah (also known as the Khaghan Akbar), he chose the pen name Khaghani and also served as a court poet for Akhsatan, the son of Fakhr ad-din Manuchehr Fereydoon. Other poets and writers who appeared during the rule of the Shirvanshahs include Falaki Shirvani, Aziz Shirvani, Jamal Khalil Shirvani, Bakhtiyar Shirvani and multitude of others mentioned in the book Nozhat al-Majales, an anthology compiled by Jamal Khalil Shirvani.

Architecture

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs (or Shirvanshahs' Palace, Azerbaijani: Şirvanşahlar sarayı) is the biggest monument of the Shirvan-Absheron branch of architecture, situated in the Inner City of Baku. The complex contains the main building of the palace, Divanhane, the burial-vaults, the shah's mosque with a minaret, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi's mausoleum, a portal in the east – Murad's gate, a reservoir and the remnants of the bath-house.

House of Shirvanshah

Portrait or Coat of arms	Name	From	Until	Relationship with predecessor
	Haytham I	861	?	appointed by Caliph Al-Mutawakkil as governor of Shirvan
	Muhammad I	?	?	son of predecessor
	Haytham II	?	around 913	son of predecessor
	Ali I	913	?	son of predecessor
	Muhammad II Also Shah of Layzan	?	917	nephew of Haytham I
	Abu Tahir Yazid Also Shah of Layzan	917	948	son of predecessor
Coin of Muhammad III	Muhammad III Also Shah of Layzan and Shah of Tabarsaran in 917–948	948	956	son of predecessor
	Ahmad I Also Shah of Layzan in 948–956	956	981	son of predecessor
	Muhammad IV Also Shah of Layzan in 956–981	986	991	son of predecessor
	Yazid III	991	1027	brother of predecessor
	Manuchehr I	1027	1034	son of predecessor
	Ali II	1034	1043	brother of predecessor
	Kubad	1043	1049	brother of predecessor
	Ali III Bukhtnassar	1049	1050	nephew of predecessor
	Salar	1050	1063	uncle of predecessor
	Fariburz I	1063	1096	son of predecessor
	Manuchehr II	1096	1106	son of predecessor
Artwork of Afridun I	Afridun I the Martyr	1106	1120	brother of predecessor
	Manuchehr III	1120	1160	son of predecessor
	Afridun II	1160	1160	son of predecessor
	Akhsitan I	1160	1197	brother of predecessor
	Shahanshah	1197	1200	brother of predecessor
	Fariburz II	1200	1204	nephew of predecessor
	Farrukhzad	1204	1204	uncle of predecessor
	Gushtasb I	1204	1225	son of predecessor
	Fariburz III	1225	1243	son of predecessor
	Akhsitan II	1243	1260	son of predecessor
	Farrukhzad II	1260	1282	son of predecessor
	Akhsitan III	1282	1294	son of predecessor
	Keykavus I	1294	1317	son of predecessor
	Keykubad I	1317	1348	uncle of predecessor
	Kavus I	1348	1372	son of predecessor
	Hushang I	1372	1382	son of predecessor
	Ibrahim I	1382	1417	cousin of predecessor
	Khalilullah I	1417	1465	son of predecessor
Coin of Farrukh Yassar I	Farrukh Yassar I	1465	1500	son of predecessor
	Bahram	1501	1501	son of predecessor
	Gazi Beg	1501	1501	brother of predecessor
	Sultan Mahmud	1501	1502	son of predecessor
	Ibrahim II Sheykhshah	1502	1524	brother of predecessor
	Khalilullah II	1524	1535	son of predecessor
	Farrukh Yassar II	1535	1535	brother of predecessor
	Shahrukh of Shirvan	1535	1539	son of predecessor

Notes

1. State historical architecture museum "The Shirvanshahs’ Palace" – "Two lions and the head of the bull between them was the symbol of the Shirvanshahs. Lions symbolized the power and strength of the Shirvanshahs, the head of the bull symbolized abundance."
2. Barthold, W., C.E. Bosworth "Shirwan Shah, Sharwan Shah. "Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2nd edition
3. Bosworth, C.E. (11 February 2011). "ŠERVĀNŠAHS". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
4. Tadeusz Swietochowski. Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition, Columbia University, 1995, p. 2, ISBN 0231070683: "In the fifteenth century a native Azeri state of Shirvanshahs flourished north of the Araxes."
5. V. Minorsky, A History of Sharvan and Darband in the 10th–11th Centuries, Cambridge, 1958.
6. Encyclopedia Iranica, "Minorsky, Vladimir Fedorovich", C. E. BOSWORTH

See also

• History of Azerbaijan
• Shirvan
• Shamakhi
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

References

• S. Ashurbeyli "History of Shirvanshahs", Baku, Elm, 1983 405 p