Samanid Empire

  General Description   The Samanids were a Persian-Sassanid family who had converted to Islam after the Umayyad conquests. During the caliphate of the Abbasid ruler al-Ma’mun (813-833 CE) they were perceived to be loyal enough to be named hereditary governors of Samarqand, Farghana, and Herat ^[1] where they were able to mint bronze coins in their own names, raise armies and campaign against neighbouring powers. ^[2]
The structure of the Samanid state "was in reality a conglomeration of great urban complexes, each with its own local dynasty, traditional elite, and economic and cultural particularities" ^[3] but this should not disguise the importance of the strong central government institutions which grew in step with the increasing urbanization of the region. ^[4] The Population of the largest cities, such as Nishapur, at this time may have exceeded 100,000 people.
The Samanid system of government was modelled on the caliph’s court in Baghdad with central and provincial divisions. ^[5] The head of state, Amir, was assisted by a vizier and many heads of departments who included a vazir (Prime Minister, not to be confused with the vizier), treasurer, chiefs of police and justice, postmaster, among others. ^[6] The "central bureaucracy was matched by a similar organization in the provincial capitals, but on a smaller scale" which reported to the central authorities. ^[6] The Samanid Amir appointed local governors or maintained relations with local hereditary rulers. ^[5]

[1]: (Lapidus 2012, 99) Lapidus, Ira M. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[2]: (Negmatov 1997, 84) Negmatov, N N. in Asimov, M S and Bosworth, C E eds. 1997. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume IV. Part I. UNESCO.

[3]: (Starr 2013) Starr, S. Frederick. 2013. Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane. Princeton University Press. Princeton.

[4]: (Frye 1975, 153) Frye, Richard Nelson. 1975. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[5]: (Frye 1975, 143) Frye, Richard Nelson. 1975. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[6]: (Frye 1975, 144) Frye, Richard Nelson. 1975. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.