Anjudan
Encyclopedia
Anjudan is a village situated near the major Shi'i centres of Qumm and Kashan
in Iran
, to which the Nizari
Ismaili
Imamate
was transferred during the late 14th century CE. Owing to the village’s name, Ismaili history between the 14th and 16th century is dubbed the “Anjudan period”.
historians including Mirkhwand and Khwadamir record that Anjudan was prepared for attack, with a village fortress and intricate underground tunnels. These however did not prevent Tamerlane’s troops from prevailing. Despite the forays of Tamerlane in the region, Mirkhwand has pointed out in the late 15th century, that the village of Anjudan remained Ismaili.
were unsuccessful and the failure to fully obscure their religious convictions with the practice of taqiyya
created a dangerous environment for the community in the South Caspian
region. Anjudan’s distant location from the major centers of Sunni dominance, Tabriz
and Herat
also made it advantageous for the Imamate to be situated here.
Financial support was regularly sent by Aga Khan I
and Aga Khan II
to the Anjudan people, in the late 19th century. In addition the Imams conducted restoration projects of various monuments and buildings of sentimental significance in the region.
Kashan
Kashan is a city in and the capital of Kashan County, in the province of Isfahan, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 248,789, in 67,464 families....
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, to which the Nizari
Nizari
'The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī , is a path of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority...
Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
Imamate
Imamate
The word Imamate is an Arabic word with an English language suffix meaning leadership. Its use in theology is confined to Islam.-Theological usage:...
was transferred during the late 14th century CE. Owing to the village’s name, Ismaili history between the 14th and 16th century is dubbed the “Anjudan period”.
History of the Ismailis in Anjudan
The earliest evidence of an Ismaili presence in Anjudan is in the late 14th c. at the time of Tamerlane’s attack on the community. Various PersianPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
historians including Mirkhwand and Khwadamir record that Anjudan was prepared for attack, with a village fortress and intricate underground tunnels. These however did not prevent Tamerlane’s troops from prevailing. Despite the forays of Tamerlane in the region, Mirkhwand has pointed out in the late 15th century, that the village of Anjudan remained Ismaili.
Factors leading up to the transference of the Imamate
While the precise rationale for establishing the Imamate in Anjudan is unclear, there are various factors that likely contributed to this decision. Earlier efforts by the Ismailis to reestablish at AlamutAlamut
Alamut was a mountain fortress located in the South Caspian province of Daylam near the Rudbar region in Iran, approximately 100 kilometres from present-day Tehran, Iran...
were unsuccessful and the failure to fully obscure their religious convictions with the practice of taqiyya
Taqiyya
Taqiyya , meaning religious dissimulation, is a practice emphasized in Shi'a Islam whereby adherents may conceal their religion when they are under threat, persecution, or compulsion...
created a dangerous environment for the community in the South Caspian
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
region. Anjudan’s distant location from the major centers of Sunni dominance, Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
and Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
also made it advantageous for the Imamate to be situated here.
The Imams at Anjudan
- Imam Mustansir bi’llah (died 1480). he first known Ismaili Imam to have taken up residence in Anjudan was Mustansir bi’llah ‘Alishah, better known as Imam Mustansir bi'llah and locally as Shah Qalandar. His mausoleumMausoleumA mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
in Anjudan, known to the family of the Ismaili Imams, was first brought to the attention of Western scholarship by one of the pioneers of the study of the Ismailis, Wladimir Ivanow. - Imam ‘Abd Al-Salam (died 1493). The successor to Imam Mustansir bi’llah, Mahmud ibn Mustansir bi’llah, also known as Salaam Allah is recorded to have once commented that “contentment was more important than conquest”. It was for this reason that Mustansir bi’llah bestowed his son with the title ‘Abd al-Salam, meaning “servant of peace”. His works include: Five Discourses (Panj Sukhan), Decree of the Imam ‘Abd al-Salaam (Farmān-i Shāh ‘Abd al-Salām, and A Poem of Shah ‘Abd al-Salam b. Shah Mustansir bi’llah Bandī az Shāh ‘Abd al-Salām [b.] Shāh Mustanṣir bi’llah.
- Imam Gharib Mirza (died 1498). Imam ‘Abbas Shah acquired the epithet “Gharib Mirza” due to his exile (ghurba) on account of political opposition. His works include: From the Discourses of Shah Gharib Mirza (Min Kalām-i Shāh Gharīb Mīrzā) on the mystical import of the alphabet and a poetic composition on similar topics. The Pandiyāt-i Jawānmardī, which was also authored anonymously under a certain Imam Mustansir bi’llah also likely contains the teachings of the Imam Gharib Mirza, who was also known as Mustansir bi’llah. The mausoleum of this Imam is known locally as “Shah Gharib” and is still located in Anjudan today.
Financial support was regularly sent by Aga Khan I
Aga Khan I
Aga Khan I The Imam Hasan Ali Shah was born in 1804 in Kahak, Iran to Shah Khalil Allah, the 45th Ismaili Imam, and Bibi Sarkara, the daughter of Muhammad Sadiq Mahallati , a poet and a Ni‘mat Allahi Sufi...
and Aga Khan II
Aga Khan II
Aga Khan II , was the title of Aqa Ali Shah , the 47th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. A member of the Iranian royal family, he became the Imam in 1881. During his lifetime, he helped to better not only his own community, but also the larger Muslim community of India...
to the Anjudan people, in the late 19th century. In addition the Imams conducted restoration projects of various monuments and buildings of sentimental significance in the region.
Notable Figures
- Among the major exponents of literature during the Anjudan revival was a poet known as Da'i AnjudaniDa'i AnjudaniDa’i Anjudani , an Ismaili poet who hailed from Anjudan, lived in the time of the Ismaili Imam Mustansir b’illah and likely died during the reign of the Safawid Shah ‘Abbas...
, likely a high-ranking member in the Ismaili hierarchy (hudūd), and brother Mawlana Malik Tayfur Anjudani. - The famous fortress of NurabadNurabadNurabad may refer to two locations in Iran:* Nurabad, Fars, in the province of Fars* Nurabad, Lorestan, in the province of Lorestan- See also :* Nurobod District, Tajikistan* Nurobod District...
near Anjudan is owes its name to the brother of Imam Gharib Mirza, Nur al-din.