Banu Ilyas
Encyclopedia
The Banu Ilyas or Ilyasids were the rulers of Kerman from 932
until 968
. Their capital was Bardasir.
army and was of Sogdian
origin. He supported the failed 929
coup against the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad
. After the rebellion failed he fled south, eventually arriving at Kerman in 932
. He managed to extend his control over the northern part of the province, while the southern and eastern mountainous portions remained under the control of the local Bilus and Qufs. Despite Samanid and later Buyid attempts to expel him from Kerman, he succeeded in maintaining his rule there for over thirty years. He acknowledged either the Samanids or the Buyids as his overlords but was effectively independent. In 967
he suffered a stroke and was eventually compelled to abdicate in favor of his son Ilyasa.
by arguing over some territory on the border of Kerman and Fars. Before invading Kerman, 'Adud made sure to win over members of Ilyasa's army. This strategy was effective; when he did invade and capture Bardasir, the bulk of Ilyasa's army deserted him. Control of Kerman was transferred nominally to 'Adud's son Abu'l Fawaris Shirzil
, while 'Adud's general Gorgir (Kurkir) was given real control. Ilyasa fled to Bukhara
, where the Samanids welcomed him, but he aroused their hostility by complaining that they would not help him retake Kerman. He was expelled from Bukhara to Khwarazm, while the governor of Khurasan seized the possessions of Ilyasa's that he had left in Kuhistan. In Khwarazm Ilyasa was stricken with sympathetic ophthalmia
and he soon died.
or 970
Ilyasa's brother Sulaiman, who had fled to the Samanids before the Buyid conquest due to a quarrel with his father, convinced the Samanid amir Mansur b. Nuh
to supply him an army to reconquer Kerman. His hope was that he could gain the support of the Bilus and Qufs (and in fact they did rebel, but were eventually defeated). Gorgir moved to stop them, and in the ensuing battle between Jiruft and Bam
, Sulaiman, two of Ilyasa's sons, Bakr and al-Husain, and a large portion of the Khurasanian troops were killed.
by a nephew or possibly son of Muhammad, al-Husain. Al-Husain, learning of a rebellion in Kerman, traveled from Khurasan and took control of part of the rebelling forces. 'Adud al-Duala's vizier Abu'l-Qasim al-Mutahhar b. 'Abdallah was sent to restore order to the province; he defeated al-Husain in Jiruft and captured him. Nothing more is heard of him and his capture marked the definite end of the Ilyasids in Kerman.
932
Year 932 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* After an initial defeat, Mardavij took Tabaristan and Gurgan. Makan, whose attempts to recover his territories failed, entered the service of the Samanids.- Europe :* St...
until 968
968
Year 968 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Battle near Silistra occurs in the spring near the Bulgarian town of Silistra, but most probably on the modern territory of Romania.- Religion :* The Archbishopric of Magdeburg is founded.* The first Polish...
. Their capital was Bardasir.
Muhammad b. Ilyas
Abu 'Ali Muhammad b. Ilyas was a member of the SamanidSamanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
army and was of Sogdian
Sogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
origin. He supported the failed 929
929
Year 929 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Mpu Sindok, ruler of the Mataram Kingdom, moves his court from Central Java to East Java in Indonesia.- Europe :...
coup against the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad
Nasr II of Samanid
Nasr II was amir of the Samanids . His reign saw the high point of Samanid rule. He was the son of Ahmad ibn Isma’il....
. After the rebellion failed he fled south, eventually arriving at Kerman in 932
932
Year 932 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* After an initial defeat, Mardavij took Tabaristan and Gurgan. Makan, whose attempts to recover his territories failed, entered the service of the Samanids.- Europe :* St...
. He managed to extend his control over the northern part of the province, while the southern and eastern mountainous portions remained under the control of the local Bilus and Qufs. Despite Samanid and later Buyid attempts to expel him from Kerman, he succeeded in maintaining his rule there for over thirty years. He acknowledged either the Samanids or the Buyids as his overlords but was effectively independent. In 967
967
Year 967 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Fatimid general Gawhar al-Siqilli launches a new victorious campaign in the West of the Magrib.- Europe :...
he suffered a stroke and was eventually compelled to abdicate in favor of his son Ilyasa.
Ilyasa b. Muhammad
Ilyasa b. Muhammad quickly angered the neighboring Buyids under 'Adud al-Daula'Adud al-Daula
Aḍud al-Dawla or Azod od-Dowleh Panah Khusraw was an emir of the Buyid dynasty in Iran and Iraq...
by arguing over some territory on the border of Kerman and Fars. Before invading Kerman, 'Adud made sure to win over members of Ilyasa's army. This strategy was effective; when he did invade and capture Bardasir, the bulk of Ilyasa's army deserted him. Control of Kerman was transferred nominally to 'Adud's son Abu'l Fawaris Shirzil
Sharaf al-Daula
Shirdil Abu'l-Fawaris was the Buyid amir of Kerman and Fars , as well as Iraq . He was the eldest son of 'Adud al-Daula....
, while 'Adud's general Gorgir (Kurkir) was given real control. Ilyasa fled to Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, where the Samanids welcomed him, but he aroused their hostility by complaining that they would not help him retake Kerman. He was expelled from Bukhara to Khwarazm, while the governor of Khurasan seized the possessions of Ilyasa's that he had left in Kuhistan. In Khwarazm Ilyasa was stricken with sympathetic ophthalmia
Sympathetic ophthalmia
Sympathetic ophthalmia is a granulomatous uveitis of both eyes following trauma to one eye. It can leave the patient completely blind. Symptoms may develop from days to several years after a penetrating eye injury. See also the reviews by Damico et al. , Chu and Foster , and Friedlaender et al...
and he soon died.
Sulaiman b. Muhammad
In 969969
Year 969 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* December 11 – John I Tzimiskes becomes Byzantine Emperor after assassinating Nikephoros II Phokas....
or 970
970
Year 970 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* A devastating decade-long famine begins in France....
Ilyasa's brother Sulaiman, who had fled to the Samanids before the Buyid conquest due to a quarrel with his father, convinced the Samanid amir Mansur b. Nuh
Mansur I of Samanid
Abu Salih Mansur was amir of the Samanids . He was the son of Nuh I.The death of Mansur's brother 'Abd al-Malik I at the end of 961 caused a succession crisis. The Turkic military establishment, which was effectively in control of the government, split over who should succeed Abdul Malik...
to supply him an army to reconquer Kerman. His hope was that he could gain the support of the Bilus and Qufs (and in fact they did rebel, but were eventually defeated). Gorgir moved to stop them, and in the ensuing battle between Jiruft and Bam
Bam, Iran
Bam is a city in and the capital of Bam County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 73,823, in 19,572 families.The modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Bam citadel. Before the 2003 earthquake the official population count of the city was roughly 43,000. There are...
, Sulaiman, two of Ilyasa's sons, Bakr and al-Husain, and a large portion of the Khurasanian troops were killed.
Al-Husain
One more attempt by the Ilyasids to retake Kerman occurred in 975975
Year 975 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* Al-Azhar University is founded in Cairo, Egypt .- Asia :...
by a nephew or possibly son of Muhammad, al-Husain. Al-Husain, learning of a rebellion in Kerman, traveled from Khurasan and took control of part of the rebelling forces. 'Adud al-Duala's vizier Abu'l-Qasim al-Mutahhar b. 'Abdallah was sent to restore order to the province; he defeated al-Husain in Jiruft and captured him. Nothing more is heard of him and his capture marked the definite end of the Ilyasids in Kerman.
Sources
- Bosworth, C. E. "The Banu Ilyas of Kirman." Iran and Islam. Edited by C. E. Bosworth. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1971. ISBN 0-85224-200-X
- Kabir, Mazifullah. The Buwayhid dynasty of Baghdad, 334/946-447/1055. Calcutta: Iran Society, 1964.