The Samanids 819-999
Samanid Lands
The Samanid Dynasty
• Capital: Balkh, Bukhara
• Languages: Persian (religious decree/mother tongue), Arabic (art/science), Turkish (daily language)
• Religion: Islam (Sunni)
• Government: Emirate
• Emir: first Yahya ibn Asad (819–855), last: 'Abd al-Malik II (997-999)
• Area: 2,850,000 km²
Its Place in History
• The Samani dynasty named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility.
• It was a native Persian dynasty in Greater Iran and Central Asia after the collapse of the Sassanid Persian empire caused by the Arab conquest.
• The Samanids modeled their state organization after the Abbasids, mirroring the caliph's court and organization.
• Domination
• The Samanids, a dynasty of Persian dehqan origin, reigned for 180 years,
encompassing a territory which included Greater Khorasan (including Kabul), Ray, Transoxiania, Tabaristan, Kerman, Gorgan, and west of these provinces up to Isfahan.
• Tajikistan’s national currency is called Somoni. The word is derived from the name of the tenth century ruler of the Samanid Empire, Ismail Samani. Tajiks see their national currency as a symbol of honor because it reminds them of their history and culture.
• At the same time Uzbeks currency sum, Kırghız currency som
Culture and Economy
• The Samanids revived Persian language and culture. In a famous edict, Samanid authorities declared that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings."
• With their roots stemming from the city of Balkh the Samanids promoted the arts, giving rise to the advancement of science and literature, and thus attracted scholars such as Rudaki, Ferdowsi and Avicenna.
• Islamic architecture and Islamo-Persian culture was spread deep into the heart of Central Asia by the Samanids.
• While under Samanid control, Bukhara was a rival to Baghdad in its glory.
• Agriculture and trading were the economic basis of Samanid State. They were heavily involved in trading - even with Europe, as thousands of
Samanid coins that have been found in the Baltic and Scandinavian
countries testify.
Religious efforts
• They at the same time determinedly propagated Ahl-e Sunnah.
The Samanids repressed Ismaili Shiism but were more tolerant of Twelver Shiism.
• Following the first complete translation of the Qur'an into
Persian, during the 9
thcentury, populations under the Samanid empire began accepting Islam in significant numbers.
Through zealous missionary work as many as 30,000 tents
of Turks came to profess Islam and later under the Ghaznavids more than 55,000 under the Hanafi school of thought. The mass conversion of the Turks to Islam eventually led to a growing
influence of the Ghaznavids, who would later rule the region.
Many Turkish concept of Islam such as peygamber, namaz,
oruch, abdast, ferişta etc.
Royal mausoleum of the Sāmānids, Ismail b. Ahmad completed before 942 CE, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
