Saman Khuda
8th-century Iranian founder of the Samanid dynasty
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Saman Khuda (Saman Khoda, Saman-khudat; Persian: سامانخدا، سامانخدات) was an 8th-century nobleman and the eponymous ancestor of the Samanid Dynasty. He was a Dehqan from the village of Saman in Balkh province in present-day northern Afghanistan.[1]
Origins
His origins are disputed, with Iranian or Sogdian [2] roots suggested. The Samanids themselves later claimed Saman was a 4th or 5th generation descendant of the famed Sassanian general Bahram Chobin,[3][4] of the ancient House of Mihran.[5] He has been suggested to have been of Sogdian origin,[6] or from a Hephthalite princely background.[7]
In the early 8th century, he came to Merv, seat of the Caliphal governor of Khorasan, Asad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Qasri (ruled 723-727). Saman was originally a Zoroastrian.[8] However, he was impressed by the piety of al-Qasri and converted to Islam.[9] He named his son Asad, allegedly in the governor's honour.[10] He was also influenced by the teachings of the scholar Abu Hanifa.
Caliph al-Mamun (786-833) subsequently appointed Asad's four sons – Saman Khuda's grandsons – as governors of Samarkand, Ferghana, Shash and Ustrushana, and Herat in recognition of their role in the suppression of a revolt.[3] This began the House of Saman; Saman Khuda's great-grandson Isma'il ibn Ahmad (849-907) became Amir of Transoxiana and Khorasan.
Family tree
| Bahram Gushnasp | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mardansina | Unknown | Bahram Chobin | Gorduya | Gordiya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Noshrad | Mihran Bahram-i Chubin | Shapur | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Siyavakhsh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toghmath | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jotman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saman Khuda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
