BAVAND

Legend credits Bav, great-grandson of Sasanian king Kavad Markwart [i], as the founder of the Bavand Dynasty for expelling Arab intruders from the region in the early 500s. Taking refuge in the highland region of Tabaristan, the Bavands established a series of forts [ii] to protect Zoroastrians fleeing the Muslim conquest of Persia. After serving as an independent and vassal state, then ruler Hasan II ordered the execution of nobleman Jalal ibn Ahman Jal to the dismay of the oligarchy. The nobles revolted and Hasan was assassinated [iii] by his brother-in-law Afrasiyab’s son. Afrasiyab then established his own dynasty in the former Bavand territories.

The Bavand’s earliest ally was the rival Qarenid house [iv], which aided in expelling Muslim intruders from the lowlands. Relations with neighboring Muslim governors remained strained until Maziar’s conversion to Islam in 842. Similarly, Bavand relations with the ‘Alids [v], who also occupied Tabaristan, were quite hostile until marriage alliances served to normalize relations. While most conflicts throughout the Ispahbadhiyya and Kinakhwaryya lines were a result of internal relations, Bavand rule did lapse in 1210 [vi] when the rival Khwarazmian dynasty [vii] gained power in the Mazandaran region. After the invasion of the Mongols [viii] in 1237, Bavand remained allied, but its power was restricted. trt

While there are few direct connections between the Bavand Dynasty and modern society, its preservation of the rich customs developed during the Sasanian Empire was vital to the protection of continued cultural growth in what is now Iran. Additionally, the early Bavand defense of Zoroastrianism supported the religion’s survival to this day with current practitioners [ix] residing largely in nearby India. The assassination of Hasan II [x] resulted in the establishment of the less powerful Afrasiyab dynasty [xi], ultimately allowing for the region to be incorporated into the Safavid Empire, the creation of which is often considered to be the beginning of modern Iran.

According to historian Ibn Isfandiyar, Bavand ruling customs were heavily influenced [xii] by its predecessors, the Sasanian Empire. After a week of coronation festivities, a member of the Ispahbadhiyya line would ascend the throne and confirm governors. Each of the lines of the Bavands held a different capital; the Kayusiyya line [xiii] ruling from Perim from 651-1074, the Ispahbadhiyya line [xiv] from Sari from 1074-1210, and the Kinakhwaryya line [xv] from Amol from 1238-1349. While the Kayusiyya line ruled independently, the Ispahbadhiyya line served as vassals of Seljuks [xvi] and later of the Khwarezmshahs and the Kinakhwaryya line served as a vassal of the Mongols until its end in 1349.

The earliest records date to the mid-650s so what is known about the Bavand Dynasty’s early relations is a result of oral tradition and legend. As a result of geographic isolation, there is a degree of historic continuity among the Bavands, its predecessors the Sasanians, and its successors the Afrasiyabs. The power of the Bavand empire relied on its control of mountain fortresses [xvii] and its willingness to become vassals of more powerful, rival states. During times of unrest with its Persian neighbors to the south, conflict occurred in the exposed lowlands [xviii] while the seats of power in the highlands remained protected.

Partially because of its geographic position, the Bavand dynasty is most known for its resistance to Islam [xix] for just under 200 years. Its position in the highlands of northern Iran allowed Zoroastrianism [xx] to remain the prevalent religion in the region. It was this isolation that also allowed for the preservation of the customs and culture of the preceding Sasanian Empire. Hailed for achieving the Persian Renaissance, the Sasanian Empire is one of the pinnacles of Iranian civilization as it’s known today. The Bavand Dynasty reached its greatest land extent under Shah Ghazi Rustam [xxi] who ruled from 1142 to 1165.

It is recorded that the Bavands used a system of tributes and taxes [xxii] to collect funds from its citizenry. The form of currency used throughout Bavand territories was the dinar [xxiii]. One such coin had Bavand ruler Shah Ghazi Rustam on its face. Later accounts note that coins were minted in the Kinakhwaryya capital city of Amol [xxiv] which likely served as the economic center at the time. While there is not much known of the economic state of the dynasty or its key industries, it can be assumed that the Sasanian Empire’s reliance on agriculture in more remote regions was continued.