Home Region:  Iran (Southwest Asia)

Saffarid Caliphate

861 CE 1003 CE

D G SC CC EQ 2020  ir_saffarid_emp / IrSaffr

Displayed: 866 CE








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866870873877881884888892895899


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Preceding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

The Saffarid dynasty was founded by Ya’qub bin Laith as-Saffar, a commoner from Sīstān, who first worked as a coppersmith, then became a warlord, before leading the conquest of (what is now) Iran and Afghanistan and becoming the dynasty’s first Emir.
The empire was at its peak during Ya’qub’s rule and its territory stretched from “borders of Afghanistan and India in the east to Fārs, Ahvāz and the fringes of Iraq in the west, at one point invading Iraq and threatening Baghdad” with the centre of their power in their homelands of Sīstān [1]
After Ya’qub’s death the dynasty lasted only 124 years, during which time it slowly reduced in territory. The last amir of the Saffarid dynasty, Khalaf, was forced to abdicate in 1003 after a coup d’etat by the Sīstān military leaders who invited the Ghaznavids to invade. Khalaf was exiled to Gardīz where he spent two years before he died. In the meantime, Sīstān became a province of the Ghaznavid Empire. [2]

[1]: ”Saffarids.” https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/ZU3IU97Q.

[2]: Frye 2007: 134-135. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB

General Variables
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Luxury Goods
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Human Sacrifice Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequences Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Saffarid Caliphate (ir_saffarid_emp) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
40 N
[861, 1003]

Original Name:
Saffarid Caliphate
[861, 1003]

Capital:
Zaranj
[861, 1003]

The first capital of the Saffarid empire was Zaranj. However in the middle of the nineth century, the dynasty’s founder, Ya’qub bin Laith, made Shiraz his capital after he conquered the region of Fars. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 477. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC

Capital:
Shiraz
[861, 1003]

The first capital of the Saffarid empire was Zaranj. However in the middle of the nineth century, the dynasty’s founder, Ya’qub bin Laith, made Shiraz his capital after he conquered the region of Fars. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 477. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Alternative Name:
Iran Saffarid Empire
[861, 1003]
Alternative Name:
Saffarid Dynasty
[861, 1003]

Temporal Bounds
Peak Years:
[861 CE ➜ 879 CE]
 

The empire was at its peak during the reign of the dynasty founder, Ya’qub.


Duration:
[861 CE ➜ 1003 CE]
 

Political and Cultural Relations
Language
Religion
Religious Tradition:
Islam
[861, 1003]


Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy:
4
[861, 1003]

[1] : 1. Capital city :: 2. Cities ::: 3. Towns :::: 4. Villages

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Religious Level:
1
[861, 1003]

Caliph


Military Level:
6
[861, 1003]

[1] [2] : 1. Amir :: 2. Commander-in-chief ::: 3. Commanders :::: 4. Officer/Leader (sarhangs) ::::: 5. Cavalrymen :::::: 6. Infantrymen

[1]: Frye 2007: 110, 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB

[2]: Bosworth 1968: 540, 549. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/BPCWEZBH


Administrative Level:
4
[861, 1003]

[1] : 1. Amir :: 2. Vizier ::: 3. Governors :::: 4. Local administrators

[1]: Frye 2007: 107, 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Professions
Professional Soldier:
Present
[861, 1003]

Soldiers were employed full time into the Saffarid army and given a salary which was paid every three months, plus additional payments upon particular successes. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 110, 127. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Professional Military Officer:
Present
[861, 1003]

Officers were employed full time into the Saffarid army and given a salary which was paid every three months, plus additional payments upon particular successes. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 110, 127. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Source Of Support:
unknown
[861, 1003]

Bureaucracy Characteristics
Specialized Government Building:
Present
[861, 1003]

The government headquarters, dᾱr al-imᾱra were built in Nishapur. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 238. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Merit Promotion:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Full Time Bureaucrat:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were government officials and office holders in the Saffarid empire. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Examination System:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Law
Professional Lawyer:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Judge:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Formal Legal Code:
Present
[861, 1003]

The Saffarids followed Islamic Sharī’a law. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 183, 293. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Court:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were markets all across the region the largest being in towns and cities which even had several different markets. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 422. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Irrigation System:
Present
[861, 1003]

Canals flowed into cities, such as at Nishapur, where they were used to water the gardens below the city. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 423. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Food Storage Site:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were granaries and storehouses. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 264. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Drinking Water Supply System:
Present
[861, 1003]

Canals flowed into cities, such as at Nishapur, where they supplied water to the city. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 423. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Communal Building:
Present
[861, 1003]

Mosques. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Utilitarian Public Building:
Present
[861, 1003]

Symbolic Building:
Present
[861, 1003]

Mosques. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Knowledge Or Information Building:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were Islamic law schools in the empire. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 329. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Entertainment Building:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Transport Infrastructure
Road:
Present
[861, 1003]

Roads were present throughout the empire. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1968: 540. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/BPCWEZBH


Port:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were ports along the coast of the Saffarid empire, such as Fars, Siraf and Rishahr. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 137. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Canal:
Present
[861, 1003]

Canals flowed into cities, such as at Nishapur, where they powered seventy mills and supplied water to the city. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 423. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Bridge:
Present
[861, 1003]

Bridges were found throughout the region and were maintained and expanded over the polity period. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Special-purpose Sites
Mines or Quarry:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were silver mines in some Saffarid-conquered areas such as Kabul. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 2007: 257. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC.


Special Purpose Site:
Present
[861, 1003]

Enclosure:
Present
[861, 1003]

Major cities, such as Ghazna and Zaranj, had citadels. There were fortresses across the region. [1] There were also enclosed prisons in the cities. [2]

[1]: Frye 2007: 133, 135. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB

[2]: Bosworth 2007: 422. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Ceremonial Site:
Present
[861, 1003]

Mosques. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Burial Site:
Present
[861, 1003]

There were cemeteries throughout the region. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 312. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Information / Writing System
Written Record:
Present
[861, 1003]

Script:
Present
[861, 1003]

Phonetic Alphabetic Writing:
Present
[861, 1003]

Nonwritten Record:
Present
[861, 1003]

The royal seal ring. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 185. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Non Phonetic Writing:
Absent
[861, 1003]

Mnemonic Device:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Scientific Literature:
Present
[861, 1003]

Arabic and Greek inspired sciences began to flourish during this period, however little is known about them. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 292. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Sacred Text:
Present
[861, 1003]

The Qu’ran.


Philosophy:
Present
[861, 1003]

From the tenth century onwards philosophy and the philosophical sciences were particularly popular at court, and many of those scholars were leading figures of court life. [1]

[1]: ”Saffarids.” https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/ZU3IU97Q.


Fiction:
Present
[861, 1003]

Prose and verse regarding Persian history began to emerge under the Saffarids. [1] In the reign of Yaʿqub, poets wrote panegyrics about his successes. [2]

[1]: Yarshater 1983: 477. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X7EBQRHC

[2]: ”Saffarids.” https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/ZU3IU97Q.


Calendar:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Information / Money
Token:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Tokens have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Precious Metal:
Present
[861, 1003]

Silver mines. “Only under the Saffarids of Sistan was real headway made by the Muslims. Thus Ya’qub b. Layth’s expedition of 256/870 via Balkh to Bamiyan, Kabul and the silver mines of Panjhir brought about the first lengthy Muslim occupation of Kabul.” [1]

[1]: (Bosworth [ed] 2007, 257) Bosworth, C. E. 2007. Historic Cities of the Islamic World. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGHDXVAC


Paper Currency:
Absent
[861, 1003]

Dirhams and dinars were issued as coins only. [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Indigenous Coin:
Present
[861, 1003]

The Saffarid currency was dinars and dirhams which was minted in the cities of Fārs, Kermān, Ahvāz and Shiraz. [1] [2]

[1]: ”Saffarids.” https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/ZU3IU97Q.

[2]: Frye 2007: 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Foreign Coin:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Foreign coins have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Article:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Articles have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Store Of Wealth:
Present
[861, 1003]

There was rich armoury and three treasuries which were at the amir’s personal disposal: “The first comprised revenue from the land tax and other imposts, and was used for the army’s salaries. The second comprised revenue from the amir’s personal properties and estates (the rndl-i khdss), which was used for court expenses, food, etc. The third comprised revenue from occasional and extraordinary levies, and confiscations of the wealth of soldiers who had gone over to the enemy; from all this, special rewards and payments were given to outstandingly brave warriors and to spies and envoys.” [1]

[1]: Frye 2007: 128. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7XE9P8HB


Debt And Credit Structure:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Credit and debit structures have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Information / Postal System
Postal Station:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

Postal stations have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


General Postal Service:
Unknown
[861, 1003]

A postal service has not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Courier:
Present
[861, 1003]

Couriers were used for official business by elites such as the amir or caliph. [1]

[1]: Bosworth 1994: 13. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7W46D62E


Fastest Individual Communication:
-
[861, 1003]

Likely by horse relay but this has not been confirmed in the sources.


Information / Measurement System
Weight Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed the system used, however it is likely they had one given their extensive infrastructures, and that they probably used a Persian system.


Volume Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed the system used, however it is likely they had one given their extensive infrastructures, and that they probably used a Persian system.


Time Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed the system used, however it is likely they had one given their extensive infrastructures, and that they probably used a Persian system.


Length Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed the system used, however it is likely they had one given their extensive infrastructures, and that they probably used a Persian system.


Geometrical Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed this however it is likely geometry used as this was a feature of Muslim architecture.


Area Measurement System:
Present
[861, 1003]

The sources consulted have not confirmed the system used, however it is likely they had one given their extensive infrastructures, and that they probably used a Persian system.



Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Luxury Goods

Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions
Coding in Progress.