Daylamites
The Daylamites or Dailamites (
The Daylamites were warlike people skilled in
Origins and language
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The Daylamites lived in the highlands of
They spoke the
History
Pre-Islamic period
Seleucid and Parthian period
The Daylamites first appear in historical records in the late 2nd century BCE, where they are mentioned by
Sasanian period
The descendants of Gushnasp were still ruling until in ca. 520, when
- "barbarians who live...in the middle of Persia, but have never become subject to the king of the Persians. For their abode is on sheer mountainsides which are altogether inaccessible, and so they have continued to be autonomous from ancient times down to the present day; but they always march with the Persians as mercenaries when they go against their enemies. And they are all foot-soldiers, each man carrying a sword and shield and three javelins in his hand (De Bello Persico 8.14.3-9)."[6]
The equipment of the Dailamites of the Sasanian army included swords, shield, battle-axe (tabar-zīn), slings, daggers, pikes, and two-pronged javelins (zhūpīn).[7]
Daylamites also took part in the siege of
Some Muslim sources maintain that following the Sasanian defeat in the
Islamic period
Resistance to the Arabs
The Daylamites managed to resist the Arab invasion of their own mountainous homeland for several centuries under their own local rulers.[4][9] Warfare in the region was endemic, with raids and counter-raids by both sides. Under the Arabs, the old Iranian fortress-city of Qazvin continued in its Sasanian-era role as a bulwark against Daylamite raids. According to the historian al-Tabari, Daylamites and Turkic peoples were considered the worst enemies of the Arab Muslims.[4] The Abbasid Caliphate penetrated the region and occupied parts of it, but their control was never very effective.
Shortly after 781, the Nestorian monk Shubhalishoʿ began evangelizing the Daylamites and converting them to Christianity. He and his associates made only a little headway before encountering competition from Islam.[10] During the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 785–809), several Shia Muslims fled to the largely pagan Daylamites, with a few Zoroastrians and Christians, to escape persecution. Among these refugees were some Alids, who began the gradual conversion of the Daylamites to Shia Islam.[4][11] Nevertheless, a strong Iranian identity remained ingrained in the peoples of the region, along with an anti-Arab mentality. Local rulers such as the Buyids and the Ziyarids, made a point of celebrating old Iranian and Zoroastrian festivals.[9]
The Daylamite expansion
From the 9th century onwards, Daylamite foot-soldiers began to comprise an important element of the armies in Iran.[12]
In the mid 9th century, the Abbasid Caliphate increased its need for mercenary soldiers in the
Islamic sources record their characteristic painted shields and two-pronged short spears (in
Culture
Religion
The Daylamites were most likely adherents of some form of
Names
The name of the king
Customs, equipment and appearance
Many habits and customs of the Daylamites have been recorded in historical records. Their men were strikingly tough and capable of lasting terrible privations. They were armed with javelins and battle axes, and had tall shields painted in gray colours. In battle, they would usually form a wall with their shields against the attackers. Some Daylamites would use javelins with burning naphtha. A poetic portrayal of Daylamite armed combat is present in Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani's Vis and Rāmin. A major disadvantage of the Daylamites was the low amount of cavalry that they had, which compelled them to work with Turkic mercenaries.[14]
The Daylamites exaggeratedly mourned over their dead, and even over themselves in failure. In 963, the Buyid ruler of Iraq, Mu'izz al-Dawla, popularized Mourning of Muharram in Baghdad, which may have played a part in the evolution of the ta'zieh.[14]
Estakhri describes the Daylamites as a bold but inconsiderate people, being thin in appearance and having fluffy hair. They practised
See also
- Rudkhan Castle
- Alamut Castle
- Lambsar Castle
- Fayruz Al Daylami
- Al-Daylami
References
- ISBN 978-0-7914-0221-4.
- ^ Dadagi, Farnbagh. Bahar, Mehrdad. Bundahishn. Tus, 1991
- ISBN 978-1-85359-509-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Madelung & Felix 1995, pp. 342–347.
- ^ Farrokh (2007), pp. 201, 224, 231
- ^ Potts 2014, p. 165.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-62447-22-0.
- ^ Farrokh (2007), p. 269
- ^ a b Price (2005), p. 42
- ^ David Wilmshurst (2011), The Martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East, East and West Publishing, p. 166.
- ^ Farrokh (2007), pp. 274-275
- ^ a b c Bosworth (1986)
- ^ Bosworth (1975)
- ^ a b c d Minorsky 1965.
Sources
- Amedroz, Henry F.; Margoliouth, David S., eds. (1921). The Eclipse of the 'Abbasid Caliphate. Original Chronicles of the Fourth Islamic Century, Vol. V: The concluding portion of The Experiences of Nations by Miskawaihi, Vol. II: Reigns of Muttaqi, Mustakfi, Muti and Ta'i. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Bosworth, C. E. (1986). "ARMY ii. Islamic, to the Mongol period". In ISBN 978-0-71009-105-5.
- Donohue, John J. (2003). The Buwayhid Dynasty in Iraq 334 H./945 to 403 H./1012: Shaping Institutions for the Future. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 90-04-12860-3.
- Kabir, Mafizullah (1964). The Buwayhid Dynasty of Baghdad, 334/946-447/1055.
- ISBN 978-0-306-81740-3.
- ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Madelung, Wilferd; Felix, Wolfgang (1995). "DEYLAMITES". In ISBN 978-1-56859-022-6.
- Price, Massoume (2005). Iran's diverse peoples. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-993-5.
- OCLC 495469475.
- ISBN 978-0-71009-129-1.
- Potts, Daniel T. (2014). Nomadism in Iran: From Antiquity to the Modern Era. London and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 1–558. ISBN 9780199330799.
- Al-Tabari, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir(1985–2007). Ehsan Yar-Shater (ed.). The History of Al-Ṭabarī. Vol. 40 vols. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
- Potts, Daniel T. (2012). "ARABIA ii. The Sasanians and Arabia". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.
- Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sāsānid Soldiers in Early Muslim Society: The Origins of ʿAyyārān and Futuwwa. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-03652-8.