Zarrinnaal or Zarrin Naal (Kurdish: زاری ناڵ) was a dynasty of Kurdish tribal chiefs and state officials belonging to the Zarrin Kafsh tribe that originated from Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province of Iran. Their heads with the title of Beyg, Beyk or Beg (lit. "lord") were the Aghas of Senneh ("Masters of Sanandaj") and ruled their fiefdom for four hundred years during the Safavid (1501–1736), Afsharid (1736–1796), Zand (1751–1794), and finally Qajar (1785–1925) eras in Iran.Zarrinkafsch: "Transition of Tribal Nobility to Urban Elite", in: Qajar Studies, Vol. VIII, 2008, p. 97 ff.; see also: The Zarrinkafsch (Bahman-Qajar) Webpage http://www.zarrinkafsch-bahman.org
Origin and meaning of the name About the origin of the name "Zarrinnaal" various stories are told: One says the family's ancestor rode in a battle against a foreign power a horse with golden horseshoes (Persian: Zarrin Naal) and therefore was named after.Oral tradition by Ahmad Khan Zarrinnaal. Another says that this ancestor was sent as Iran's envoy to the Mughal Empire for border negotiations with the Indians. To show his wealth on this special ceremonial occasion and to convince his partners to agree, he once put golden horseshoes on his horse. When he took a ride the animal lost its horseshoes, people picked them up and so forth nicknamed him Zarrinnaal.Oral tradition by Kazem Khan Zarrinnaal. M. Lesan ol-Molk also reports this in his historical chronicle.Lesan ol-Molk: Nasekh at-Tawarikh, Vol. 3, p. 439. In fact, there was a certain Mohammad Ali Beyg sent as ambassador to the Mughal court by Abbas the Great.A third story tells us that this ancestor wanted to marry a shah's daughter but the shah denied to give him his daughter's hand. Thus, he rode on a horse with golden horseshoes to impress the shah and finally could pick up his bride.Oral tradition by Sakineh Zarrinnaal and Manijeh Vali. However, after this man, his entire clan was called in the very same way and his descendants were entitled "Zarrinnaal" in honour to that forefather.
In fact the term naal or to be more precise na'al (نعل) means in modern Persian of today "horseshoe", but also is Nominative Singular of the Arab word na'eleyn meaning "shoes, slippers",Junker/Alavi: Farhang-e Farsi Almani, 2002, p. 808. and was the common term for slippers. So, like Zarrinkafsh the term Zarrinnaal means "Golden Shoe" as well, but in a more elaborated Arabized way often used in former times and especially among the Kurds.
Tribal heads and their history When the Iranian shahs conquered their empire and established their supremacy over the western Kurdish emirates, the Zarrinnaal family began to reach local prominence in Kurdistan. Its members were installed in military and administrative posts and aided the Ardalan rulers (r. 1187 to 1867) in governing their province.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 1–11.
Mohammad Ali Beyg Zarrinnaal
Mohammad Ali Beyg called Zarrinnaal (lit. "Golden Horseshoe"), whose family belonged to the clan of Zarrin Kafsh, had been settled in Kurdistan minimum since the year 1448 A.D. and possessed the area of Sanandaj as their hereditary fief, was ordered by Shah Abbas I the Great to make war on the Ottomans; and on 24 August 1605, with the aid of his troops from the Mokri tribes could reconquer the Turkish occupied Kurdistan Province for Iran. After that he was made vicegerent (Persian: vali) of that area and reigned probably from 1609 to 1615 as governor and was head of the administration and army, chief judge and legislator. There, he himself and his entire tribal confederacy (Persian il) were known and henceforth called by the name of "Zarrinnaal".Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 11.
In 1631, Mohammad ‘Ali Beyg was the ambassador sent to the Mughal court by Shah Abbas of Iran, arriving in time for the New Year festival in March 1631. Iran and Mughal India went in negotiations about the province of Kandahar, once part of the Mughal empire, then given by Humayun to Shah Tahmasp and annexed by Humayun's successor Akbar. In 1622, Shah Abbas had reconquered Kandahar as his rightly possession and a treaty with Jahangir should secure this status quo. Mohammad Ali Beyg remained in the Mughal Empire until October 1632, during which time his portrait was painted by the royal artist, Hashim. The painting is inscribed in Persian ‘Likeness of Mohammad ‘Ali Beyg, ambassador, the work of Hashim’.
Mohammad Zaman Beyg Mohammad Ali Beyg's son Mohammad Zaman Beyg was a merchant and traveller.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 10. After Abbas the Great's death in 1629, the Ottoman vizier Khusrew Pasha attacked the Kurdistan Province in 1634 and destroyed its capital city of Hassanabad. But next to it Sehna or Senneh, the modern city of Sanandaj was built as new residence and capital for the Ardalan emirs by Vali Soleyman Khan Ardalan (r. 1636–1657). Thus, the entire Kurdish tribal elite moved to the new capital of Sanandaj, which became a prosperous city. Thereby the name of Sanandaj comes from the Kurdish terms Sena meaning "soltan" or "ruler" and Daj (or Dezh) meaning "fortress", and thus means "The Ruler's Fortress", which refers to the Vali's stony fort on top of the city peak Teppeh-ye Painshahr (Teppeh-ye Tous-Nowzar).Ayazi: A'iney'-ye Sanandaj, 1981, p. 31; Ardalan: Les Kurdes d'Ardalan, 2004, p. 40, fn. 112; see also: Zarrin Kafsh. In 1638, the common modern Turkish-Iranian border was established at the foot of the Zagros Mountains between Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau.
Mahmoud Beyg Soltan Mohammad Zaman Beyg's son Mahmoud Beyg Soltan was army captain and provincial sub-governor (soltan).Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 9. In the Safavid era, the military aristocracy of the emirs was divided in the three ranks of khan (i.e. "magnate", title of military commander), beyg (i.e. "lord", title of tribal chief) and soltan (i.e. "ruler", title of provincial sub-governor).
Mohammad Beyg Mahmoud Beyg Soltan's son Mohammad Beyg was vicegerent (vali) of the Afghans (i.e. Pashtuns) after he was deputy governor (nayeb-e vali) in today's Afghanistan.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 8. The province of Afghan with its capital of Kandahar belonged to the Safavid Empire until 1709.
Hajji Eskandar Beyg-e Afghan Mohammad Beyg's son Hajji Eskandar Beyg-e Afghan was a leader of the Afghans (Persian: beyg-e afghan) and after his arrival in the Kurdistan Province from a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca he settled there again at Sanandaj.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 7. In 1709, Ghilzai-Afghan rebels under their chief Mirwais Khan Hotak rose against the Safavid Empire, killed the Safavid governor of Kandahar, the Georgin Gurgin Khan (King George XI), they declared their independence and finally caused the downfall of the Safavids when they seized and sacked the Safavid capital city of Isfahan in 1722.
Abbas Beyg Vazir Hajji Eskandar Beyg's son Abbas Beyg was vizier of Iran (vazir-e Iran), had issued 18 children and was the head of his tribe (Persian: ra'is-e il).Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 6. He served under Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747), who reinstated the Iranian monarchy but was a brutal tyrant too, and was murdered by his own emirs in 1747. The Afshar and Qajar emirs allied with one of the shah's envoy and minister, Hossein Ali Beyg Bastami, while on a campaign entered the ruler's tent and cut off his head and also killed his two other ministers, Bader Khan and Abbas Beyg Vazir.
Oghli Beyg I. Abbas Beyg's son Oghli Beyg I. was landlord (Persian: mallak) of a big estate in the Kurdistan Province under the Valis of Ardalan.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 5.
Ali Beyg Monshi-bashi Oghli Beyg's son Ali Beyg Monshi-bashi was in the year 1799 chancellor and chief secretary (Persian: monshi-bashi) of Vali Amanollah Khan Ardalan I (r. 1797–1825), one of the most powerful and popular rulers of Kordestān.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 4. Responsible for the army's administration and Amanollah Khan's military power he was one of the chief ministers of the Ardalans,A. Kordestani: Tarikh-e Mardukh, 1944, p. 106; M. Kordestani: Tarikh-e Ardalan, 1946, pp. 43–47. and his family was described by Malcom as "one of the first principal families at the Ardalan court."Malcom: Sketches, II, 1845, p. 277. Finally Ali Beyg was killed 1826 at the battle of Mossul by Ottoman troops.Bruinessen: Agha, Scheich und Staat, 1989, p. 92 ff.
Oghli Beyg II. Monshi
Ali Beyg's son Oghli Beyg II. Monshi was landlord and, like his father, ministerial (monshi) of the Valis of Ardalan in army service. After he quit service for the Ardalans (Khosrau Khan, r. 1825–1834; Reza Qoli Khan, r. 1834–1860, and Amanollah Khan II., r. 1860–1867) in the last years of his life he only looked after his estates in Kurdistan.Zarrinnaal: Surat-e asāmi-ye ağād-e pedari-ye Zarrinna‘al, 1967, no. 3; see also: A. Kordestani, 1944, p. 106 and M. Kordestani, 1946, pp. 43–46.
Khosrau Khan followed his father Amanollah Khan I. but died young when poisoned by the orders of his father-in-law Fath Ali Shah Qajar. His two sons struggled for power over their father's domains, fought against each other and a civil war broke out until Naser al-Din Shah Qajar deposed Reza Qoli Khan and terminated the Ardalan rule after Amanollah Khan's II. death.
Like most of all Kurds Oghli Beyg II. was a Sunni Muslim but for political reasons converted to the Shiite faith of Islam, the main religion in Iran. Oghli Beyg wanted to join his own family with the new established Qajar dynasty by marriage, and asked for the hand of Princess Noor-Jahan Khanom, the 9th daughter of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza Nayeb as-Saltaneh.Buyers: "The Qajar Dynasty", 2001, p. 8/qajar5. When the young bride died Oghli Beyg married Noor-Jahan Khanom II. ("Noorjan Khanom") Ardalan, a daughter of Vali Amanollah Khan Ardalan, sister to Khosrau Khan and aunt to Reza Qoli and Amanollah II.Barjesteh: "The Fath Ali Shah Project", in: Qajar Studies, Vol. IV, 2004, p. 175.
Agha Mirza Zaman Khan Kordestani Lashkar-nevis (1842–1906)