The Atabegs of Yazd (, Atābakān-e Yazd) were a local dynasty that ruled the city of Yazd from approximately 1141 to 1319. They succeeded the Kakuyids, to whom they were linked by marriage.
Dynasty The names of the first members of the dynasty indicate that they were seemingly ethnically Persian, but like the Hazaraspids they had accepted the Turkish title of Atabeg.Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. Excerpt 1 pp 209: "The Atabegs of Yazd" (1141-1297)" Excerpt 2: "From the names of the earlier members at least, it seems they were ethnically Persian, but, like the Hazaraspids, they adopted the Turkish title of Atabeg" Most of the Atabegs of Yazd were tributaries to the Seljuks and the Mongol Il-Khans until they were finally overthrown by the Muzaffarids.S. C. Fairbanks, "ATĀBAKĀN-E YAZD" in Encyclopaedia Iranica. (accessed October 2010)
In 1272, the Italian explorer Marco Polo passed through Yazd on his way to China. He referred to Yazd as a "Noble City" that was safe and busy with trade, and functioned like a "desert port" on the "caravan route". The city was then a major silk-weaving center, and Marco Polo wrote about its fine silk. In the book The Travels of Marco Polo, he wrote:
Architecture Various buildings are known from the period of the Atabegs of Yazd, such as "Alexander's Prison" (Zindan-i Iskandar), that takes its name from a poem by Hafez in which he speaks of the terrible conditions of detention. On the outside, there is can see a beautiful dome made of raw clay and decorated with plaster works and gold and blue paint. The architectural features of the dome can also be found in other domes dating back to the Ilkhanid period in Iran.
List of rulers Sam ibn Wardanruz (1141–1188) Langar ibn Wardanruz (1188–1207) Wardanruz ibn Langar (1207–1219) Isfahsalar ibn Langar (1219–1229) Mahmud Shah ibn Isfahsalar (1229–1241) Salghur Shah ibn Mahmud Shah (1241–1252) Toghan Shah ibn Salghur Shah (1252–1272) Ala al-Dawla ibn Toghan Shah (1272–1275) Yusuf Shah ibn Toghan Shah (1275–1297) Mongol occupation (1297–1315) Hajji Shah ibn Yusuf Shah (1315–1319)
Genealogy of House of Yazd
Atabegs of Yazd
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