The Iranian Intermezzo,The designation was coined by Vladimir Minorsky (first in French as "") in Domination des Daïlamites (Paris, 1932); and in English in "Prehistory of Saladin" in Studies in Caucasian History (London, 1953), pp. 110–116. It has been taken up by Bernard Lewis, among others, in his The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years (New York, 1995). also called the Persian Renaissance, was a period in Iranian history marked by the rise to power of the first Iranian Muslim dynasties. Beginning 170 years after the Arab conquest of Iran and lasting until the middle of the 11th century, it is noteworthy since it was an interlude between the decay of Arab power under the Abbasid Caliphate and the rise of Turkic power under the Seljuk Empire, which triggered the Sunni Revival. The Iranian Intermezzo brought an end to Arab hegemony over Iranian lands and revived Iran's national spirit, albeit in conformity with Islam,Bernard Lewis. The Middle East: 2,000 Years of History from the Rise of Christianity to the Present Day. pp. 81–82. though there were some non-Muslim movements (e.g., Mardavij) that outright rejected the Islamization of Iran. Although Zoroastrianism continued to decline, the movement did succeed in revitalizing the Persian language, with the most significant Persian literature from this period being the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi. The Iranian dynasties that took part in this effort were the Tahirids, the Saffarids, the Ilyasids, the Ghaznavids, the Sajids, the Samanids, the Ziyarids, the Buyids, the Sallarids, the Rawadids, the Marwanids, the Shaddadids, the Kakuyids, the Annazids, and the Hasanwayhids.
According to the historian Alison Vacca: "The Iranian Intermezzo in fact includes a number of other Iranian, mostly Kurdish, minor dynasties in the former caliphal provinces of Armenia, Albania, and Azerbaijan". Likewise, in the second edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the historian Clifford Edmund Bosworth states that the Russian historian Vladimir Minorsky considers the Rawadids to be flourishing during this period.
List of Intermezzo dynasties
Tahirid (821–873)
The Tahirid dynasty () was an Iranian dynasty that ruled over the northeastern part of Greater Iran, in the region of Khorasan (made up of parts of Iran, present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). The Tahirid capital was located in Nishapur.
Saffarid (861–1003) The Saffarid dynasty () was an Iranian empireThe Cambridge History of Iran, By Richard Nelson Frye, William Bayne Fisher, John Andrew Boyle, Published by Cambridge University Press, 1975, , ; p. 121. which ruled in Sistan (861–1003), a historical region in southeastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan.Nancy Hatch Dupree – An Historical Guide To Afghanistan – Sites in Perspective (Chapter 3)... Link Their capital was Zaranj.
Samanid (819/875–999)
The Samanid dynasty (), also known as the Samanid Empire or simply Samanids (819–999),Encyclopædia Britannica, Online Edition, 2007, Samanid Dynasty, LINK ( Sāmāniyān) were an Iranian empireAisha Khan, A Historical Atlas of Uzbekistan, Rosen, 2003, , , p. 23; Richard Nelson Frye, William Bayne Fisher, John Andrew Boyle, eds., The Cambridge History of Iran, Cambridge University Press, 1975, , , p. 164; The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 1987, , p. 891; Sheila Blair, The Monumental Inscriptions from Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana, Brill, 1992, , p. 27. in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman Khuda who converted to Sunni IslamElton L.Daniel, The History of Iran, p. 74 despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility.C. E. Bosworth, ed and tr, The Ornament of Histories: A History of the Eastern Islamic Lands AD 650–1041, I. B. Tauris, 2011, p. 53.
With their roots stemming from the city of Balkh (in present-day Afghanistan), the Samanids promoted the arts, giving rise to the advancement of science and literature, and thus attracted scholars such as Rudaki and Avicenna. While under Samanid control, Bukhara was a rival to Baghdad in its glory. Scholars note that the Samanids revived Persian more than the Buyids and the Saffarids, while continuing to patronize Arabic to a significant degree. Nevertheless, in a famous edict, Samanid authorities declared that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings."Richard Foltz, Iran in World History, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 56–58.
Sajid (889–929) The Sajid dynasty () was an Islamic dynasty that ruled from 889–890 until 929. The Sajids ruled Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia first from Maragha and Barda and then from Ardabil.Iranicaonline.org AZERBAIJAN iv. Islamic History to 1941 The Sajids originated from the Central Asian province of Ushrusana and were of Iranian (Sogdian)Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. p. 147: "The Sajids were a line of caliphal governors in north-western persia, the family of a commander in the 'Abbasid service of Soghdian descent which became culturally Arabised."V. Minorsky, Studies in Caucasian History, Cambridge University Press, 1957. p. 111 heritage.
Ziyarid (930–1090) The Ziyarid dynasty () was an Iranian dynasty of Gilaki origin that ruled Tabaristan from 930 to 1090. At its greatest extent, it ruled much of western and northern Iran.
Banu Ilyas (932–968)
The Banu Ilyas were an Iranian dynasty of Sogdian origin which ruled Kerman from 932 until 968. Their capital was Bardasir.
Buyid (934–1062) Buyid dynasty, also known as the Buyid Empire*Busse, Heribert (1975), "Iran Under the Buyids", in Frye, R. N., The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 270: "Aleppo remained a buffer between the Buyid empire and Byzantium". Joseph Reese Strayer (1985), Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Scribner, 1985. or the Buyids ( Buyiān, Caspian: Bowyiyün), also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shia IranianClifford Edmund Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. pp. 154–155."Buyid Dynasty". Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 January 2008. dynasty that originated from Daylaman. They founded a confederation that controlled most of Iran and Iraq in the 10th and 11th centuries. Indeed, as Dailamite Iranians the Būyids consciously revived symbols and practices of Persia's Sassānid dynasty. In fact, beginning with 'Adud al-Daula they used the ancient Sassānid title Shāhanshāh (Persian: شاهنشاه), literally meaning king of kings.
Sallarid (942–979) The Sallarid dynasty (also referred to as the Musafirids or Langarids) was an Islamic Persian dynasty principally known for its rule of Iranian Azerbaijan, Shirvan, and a part of Armenia from 942 until 979.
Shaddadid (951–1199) The Shaddadids were a Kurdish Sunni Muslim dynasty. who ruled in various parts of Armenia and Arran from 951 to 1199 AD. They were established in Dvin. Through their long tenure in Armenia, they often intermarried with the Bagratuni royal family of Armenia.
Rawadid (955–1070/1116)
Rawwadid dynasty was a Sunni Muslim KurdishChristoph Baumer, History of the Caucasus: Volume 1: At the Crossroads of Empires, (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021), 265 dynasty, centered in the northwestern region of Adharbayjan (Azerbaijan) between the late 8th and early 13th centuries.
Hasanwayhid (959–1015) Hasanwayhids was a powerful Shia Kurdish dynasty reigning the western parts of Iran such as Iranian Azerbaijan and Zagros Mountains between Shahrizor and Khuzestan from c. 959 to 1015. The last Hasanwayhid ruler died in 1015 in Sarmadj, south of Bisotun, as the Seljuks began entering the region.
Ghaznavid (977–1186)
The Ghaznavids were an Persianate Muslim dynasty and empire of Turkic mamluk origin, ruling at its greatest extent, large parts of Iran, Khorasan, and the northwest Indian subcontinent from 977 to 1186.
Marwanid (983/990–1084) The Marwanids were a Kurdish Sunni Muslim dynasty in the Diyar Bakr region of Upper Mesopotamia (present day northern Iraq/southeastern Turkey) and Armenia, centered on the city of Amid (Diyarbakır).
Annazid (990/991–1117)
The Annazids was a Kurdish Sunni Muslim dynasty which ruled an oscillating territory on the frontier between Iran and present-day Iraq for about 130 years. The Annazids were related by marriage to the Hasanwayhids who they were in fierce rivalry with. The legitimacy of the Annazid rulers stemmed from the Buyid amir Bahāʾ al-Dawla and the dynasty relied on the Shadhanjan Kurds.
Kakuyid (1008–1141) The Kakuyids () were a Shia Muslim dynasty of Daylamite origin that held power in western Iran, Jibal and Kurdistan (c. 1008–c. 1051). They later became atabegs (governors) of Yazd, Isfahan and Abarkuh from c. 1051 to 1141. They were related to the Buyids.The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World, C.E. Bosworth, The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 5, ed. J. A. Boyle, John Andrew Boyle, (Cambridge University Press, 1968), 37.
In media The Iranian Intermezzo features prominently in the video game Crusader Kings III, where it is a featured region in the 867 A.D. start date.
See also Shi'a Century Nizari Ismaili state Nizari–Seljuk conflicts Battle of Dayr al-Aqul Buyid capture of Baghdad (945)
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