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{{Short description|Province of the Sasanian Empire}}
{{cleanup-date|February 2006}}
{{Infobox Former Subdivision
{{unreferenced}}
| native_name = Sagistān
'''Sakastan''' '''Sakasthana''' or '''Sakasthan''' is a term indicating certain regions of the ] where the ] or ] settled around ]. Sakastan region includes southern ]; ], ], and ] provinces of ]; also includes ], ], ], ] and ] ] of ]. The use of the term Sakistan is a restrictive term, most likely of relatively recent origin, and does not find mention in any of the creditable historical accounts concerning the Indian subcontinent.
| conventional_long_name = Sakastan
| common_name = Sakastan
| subdivision = Province
| nation = the ]
| era = Late Antiquity
| status_text =
| government_type =
| year_start = c. 240
| year_end = 650/1
| event_end = ] by the ]
| p1 = Indo-Parthians
| flag_p1 =
| s1 = Rashidun Caliphate
| flag_s1 =
| image_flag =
| flag =
| image_coat =
| symbol =
| symbol_type =
| image_map = The provinces of Sakastan, Paradan, Turan, Makuran and Hind in the early Sasanian era.svg
| image_map_caption = Map of the southeastern provinces of the Sasanian Empire.
| capital = ]
| today = ]<br>]
}}
'''Sakastan''' (also known as '''Sagestān''', '''Sagistan''', '''Seyanish''', '''Segistan''', '''Sistan''', and '''Sijistan''') was a ] province in ], that lay within the ] of ]. The province bordered ] in the west, ] in the north west, ] in the north east, and ] in the south east. The governor of the province held the title of ]. The governor also held the title of "]" (king of the ]) until the title was abolished in ca. 459/60.


== Etymology ==
The ]s are considered to be descendents of ] who were a branch of the ] ], who migrated from southern ] into ], ], ] and finally into ] and then to various regions of the Indian subcontinet from the middle of the 2nd century BC to the 1st century BC. The Sakas also settled in areas of southern ] and western ], still called after them as Sakastan. The Sakas conquered and settled in the Indian subcontinent around 180 BC. They were accepted in ] as Raj-put (children of the kings) caste of Kashatriyas after their suppression of ]){{citation needed}}. (see
The word "Sakastan" means "the land of the ]", a ] group which from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century migrated to the ] and ], where they carved a kingdom known as the ].{{sfn|Frye|1984|p=193}}{{sfn|Bosworth|1997|pp=681-685}} In the ], a ] scripture written in ], the province is written as "Seyansih".{{sfn|Brunner|1983|p=750}} After the ], the province became known as "Sijistan" and later as "]", which still remains a province to this day in Iran (]).{{sfn|Bosworth|1997|pp=681-685}}


== History ==
Based on coins, inscriptions, archeology and early Indian, Buddhist, Chinese, Greek, and Persian manuscripts dating back to ] BCE, historians and ethnographers since the 19th century (e.g. Cunningham, Tod, Rapson, Ibbetson, Elliot, Ephilstone, Dahiya, Dhillon, Banerjea, Sharma, Sinha, Puniya etc.) have shown that the traditional agrarian and artisan communities of the entire northwest (e.g. ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], etc. including various Backward Classes caste groups) are descended from ] (or ]) tribes of ], an aggressive and expansionist old Iranian speaking culture, who settled western and north-western ] in successive waves between 5th century B.C. and 1st century AD. The capital-lion ] inscriptions at ] and ] state ''Sarvasa Sakasthanasa puyae'' (for the merit of the people of Sakasthana). Inscriptions and coins mentioning ''Sakastan'' are found all over the Saka core region of ]-] and surrounding tracts.
The province was formed in ca. 240, during the reign of ] (r. 240–270), as part of his intention to centralise his empire - before that, the province was under the rule of the ]n ], whose ruler Ardashir Sakanshah became a Sasanian vassal during the reign of Shapur's father ] (r. 224–242), who also had the ancient city ] rebuilt, which became the capital of the province.{{sfn|Christensen|1993|p=229}}


] (Narsē). AD 293-303. Sakastan mint.]]
Ethnological information collected in colonial censuses shows that the majority, approximately 65%, of the population of the west (''Sakasthan'' including ], ], northern ], ] and western ]) is of Saka origin. Terms like ''Sakasthana'' and ''Saka'' appear on ancient Saka inscriptions and coins found as far as ], ] and Vidharba in western ], western ] (Malwa) and ], respectively. Other major Saka cities and centers include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. ] and ] were the twin capital of the ]a Sakas.
Shapur's son ] was the first to be appointed as the governor of the province, which he would govern until 271, when the Sasanian prince ] was appointed as the new governor.


Later in ca. 281, Hormizd revolted against his cousin ] (r. 274–293). During the revolt, the people of Sakastan was one of his supporters. Nevertheless, Bahram II managed to suppress the revolt in 283, and appointed his son ] as the governor of the province. During the early reign of ] (r. 309-379), he appointed his brother ] as the governor of Sakastan. ] (r. 459–484), during his early reign, put an end to dynastic rule in province by appointing a ] as its governor. The reason behind the appointment was to avoid further family conflict in the province, and in order to gain more direct control of the province.{{sfn|Christensen|1993|p=229}}
The ] have left their deep imprint on the ethnic composition, ethos, cultural heritage, political institutions, social customs, dress, kinship patterns, folk dances and cuisine of the ] and other provinces of Sakasthan. These include : ]-] political systems and institutions, elected panchayat, sarpanch, thok, khaap, sarva khaap; kurta-pajama, uchkin, turban, shalwar-kameez, ghagra; bhangra, giddha, dhol, tumbi, thadi-jathas; diet based on wheat, meat, onions, sour-milk (lassi), liqor; an ethos and tradition showing a high affinity for self-sacrifice and heroism, a strong sense of self-honor (ankh) and independence, strong work-ethic; a secular, unorthodox, mystical and humanistic outlook towards religion and spirituality, etc.
]
During the ], the last Sasanian king ] fled to Sakastan in the mid-640s, where its governor ] (who was more or less independent), helped him. However, Yazdegerd III quickly lost this support when he demanded tax money that Aparviz had failed to pay.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=222}}{{sfn|Morony|1986|pp=203-210}}{{sfn|Zarrinkub|1975|p=24}}


===Arab conquest===
The ], ] inhabiting ] at the time of ] (5th century B.C.) consisted of 4 main branches known as the ], Sacae, Alani, and Sarmatians, sharing a common language, ethnicity and culture. Ancient Greek (e.g. Herodotus, Pliny, Plotemy, Arrian) and Persian sources (Darius's historians) from the 5th century place the MassaGatea as the most southerly group in the Central Asian steppe. The earliest Scythians who entered the northern regions of South Asia were from this group. Historians derive "Jat" fom "Gatae", "Ahir" from "Avar", "Saka" from "Scythii", "Gujjar" from "Khazar", "Thakur" from "Tukharian", "Saurashtra" from "Saura Matii" or "Sarmatians", "Sessodia" (a Rajput clan) from "Sassanian", "Madra" from "Medes", "Trigartta" from "Tyri Getae" and "Sulika" from "Seleucids". "Massa" means "grand" or "big" in old Iranian - the language of the Scythians.
In 650/1, ], who had recently conquered ], sent ] to an expedition in Sakastan. After some time, he reached ], a border town between Kirman and Sakastan, where he forced the ] of the town to acknowledge ] authority. He then did the same at the fortress of ], which had a famous ], which is mentioned in the '']''.{{sfn|Zarrinkub|1975|p=24}}


He then continued to seize more land in the province. He thereafter besieged ], and after a heavy battle outside the city, Aparviz and his men surrendered. When Aparviz went to Rabi to discuss about the conditions of a treaty, he saw that he was using the bodies of two dead soldiers as a chair. This horrified Aparviz, who in order to spare the inhabitants of Sakastan from the Arabs, made peace with the Arabs in return for heavy tribute, which included a tribute of 1,000 slave boys bearing 1,000 golden vessels.{{sfn|Zarrinkub|1975|p=24}}{{sfn|Morony|1986|pp=203-210}} Sakastan was thus under the control of the Rashidun Caliphate.
Entry into India Some of these Saka tribes entered northwest India through the Khyber pass, others through the more southerly Bolan pass which opens into Dera Ismail Khan in Sindh -- an entry point into Gujarat and Rajasthan. From here some invading groups went north (Punjab), others went south (Maharasthra), and others further east (UP, MP). This explains why some Jat, Gujjar and Rajput clans claim descent from Rajasthan (Chauhan, Powar, Rathi, Sial etc.) while others from Afghanistan (e.g. Mann, Her, Bhullar, Gill, Bajwa, Sandhu, etc.). This is supported by the fact that the oldest Rajput geneologies (10th centuries) do not extend into the northwest's Gandharan Buddhist period (400 B.C. - 900 AD). Sir Cunningham (former Director General of Indian Archeological survey) writes:


== Population and religion ==
"the different races of the Scythians which succesively appeared as conquerors in the border provinces of Persian and India are the following in the order of arrival: Sakas or Sacae (the Su or Sai of the Chinese - B.C. ?), Kushans (the great Yue-Chi (Yuti) of the Chinese - B.C. 163), Kiddarite or later Kushans (the little Yue-chi of the Chinese - A.D. 450) and Epthalites or White Huns (the Yetha of the Chinese - 470 A.D.).
During the ] period, Sakastan (then known as ]), was populated by a ] ] known as the Drangians.{{sfn|Schmitt|1995|pp=534–537}}{{sfn|Brunner|1983|pp=326-336, 337-344}} From the 2nd century BC to the 1st century, Sakastan saw a huge influx of Saka tribesmen and also some Parthians, which, in the words of Brunner, "reshaped the region's older population pattern".{{sfn|Brunner|1983|p=773}}


The inhabitants of Sakastan were mainly ], while a minority of them were ] ].{{sfn|Bosworth|1997|pp=681-685}}
Cunningham further notes that
". . . the successive Scythian invasions of the Sakas, the Kushans, and the White Huns, were followed by permanent settlements of large bodies of their countrymen . . ".


== House of Suren ==
Cunningham and Tod regard the Huns to be the last Scythian wave to have entered India. Herodotus reveals that the Scythians as far back as the 5th century B.C. had political control over Central Asia and the northern subcontinent up to the river Ganges. Later Indo-Scythic clans and dynasties (e.g. Mauryas, Rajputs) extended their control to other tracts of the northern subcontinent. The largest Saka imperial dynasties of Sakasthan include the Satraps (204 BC to 78 AD), Kushanas (50 AD - 380), Virkas (420 AD - 640) while others like the Mauryas (324 - 232 BC) and Dharan-Guptas (320 AD - 515) expanded their empires towards the east. According to Ethnographers and historians like Cunningham, Todd, Ibbetson, Elliot, Ephilstone, Dahiya, Dhillon, Banerjea, etc., the agrarian and artisan communities (e.g. Jats, Gujars, Ahirs, Rajputs, Lohars, Tarkhans etc.) of the entire west are derived from the war-like Scythians who settled north-western and western South Asia in successive waves between 500 B.C. to 500 AD. Down to this day, the very name of the region `Gujarat' is derived from the name `Khazar', whilst `Saurashtra' denotes `Sun-worshipper', a common term for the Scythians. The Gujarat-Rajasthan region continues to be the most Scythic region in the world. The oldest Rajputs clans found in southern and western Rajasthan arose much later from earlier Scythic groups; or are of Hun origin (5-6th century AD); and many are no doubt of mixed Scythic-Hun origin. Virtually all are of Scythic descent. Sakastan : The Saka States Uptil the advent of Sultan Mohammed Ghori in the 13th century, the west and northwest was politically unified with the subcontinent for only 92 years under the Mauryas since the start of Saptha Sindhva's Vedic period (1500 BC). For most of its independant history it was under the rule of Saka kings. The west was also independant from the rest of India, existing under its Saka dynasties for virtually the entire period of history. The term '''Sakastan''' which is found on coins, was applied to the ''Rajasthan-Gujarat'' core region, and at its greatest extent included Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as well. The largest Saka imperial dynasties of Sakasthana include the Satraps (204 BC to 78 AD), Kushanas (50 AD - 380), Virkas (420 AD - 640) while others like the Mauryas (324 - 232 BC) and Dharan-Guptas (320 AD - 515) expanded their empires towards the east. A brief selected list of Saka rulers of Punjab and the northwest spanning 16 centuries includes Porus (4th century BC), Mauryas (3rd century BC), Rudradaman, Azes, Maues, Soter Megas (2nd century BC), Azilises, Wima Kadphises (1st century AD), Kanishka I, Haviska (2nd century), Vasudeva (3rd century), Vyaghra rata and Yasovardhana.
The ], a Parthian noble family that served the ] and later the Sasanian Empire, was part of the ] of the Sasanian Empire—each family owned land in different parts of the empire, the Surens owning land in parts of Sakastan.{{sfn|Brunner|1983|p=705}}


== Mint ==
The '''Mauryas''' were themselves perhaps of Scythic origin. D.B. Spooner who evacuated Pataliputra was struck by his findings and writes in his article "The Zoroastrian Period of Indian History" as follows:
Under Shapur II, a Sasanian mint was established in Sakastan (mint-mark: SKSTN, S, SK). From the first reign of ] (r. 488–496) onwards, this mint was located at the provincial capital Zrang (mint-mark: ZR, ZRN, ZRNG).{{sfn|Potts|2018|page=1319}}
"For Chandragupta' s times, the evidences are more numerous and more detailed, and indicate a following of Persian customs all along the line - in public works, in ceremonial, in penal institutions, everything".
The theory of a Scythic descent of the Mauryas is supported by the following pieces of evidence :
 Mauryan coins have the symbol of the sun, a branch, a humped bull and mountain (Dehiya, p.155). All these are pre-eminently Scythian MassaGetae icons who were Sun worshippers with the high mount symbolizing earth and the irregular curving lines alongside it symbolizing water. The tree branch is a symbol of productivity of the earth - agriculture and soldiering were the traditional noble occupations of Sakas. The historians of Darius record that when he attempted to attack the Scythian MassaGetae (an old-Iranian culture of Central Asia) along the Black sea in the 5th century BC, "the Saka kings swore by the sun god and refused to surrender earth and water".
 The clan name of Toramana and Mahirgula, viz Jauvla, is still available among Indian Jats who are now called Jauhl.
 Jat/Gujar clans and villages named Maur and Dharan exist even today in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and western MP.
 The Puranas do not even refer to the largest imperial dynasties of the north such as the Mauryas (324 - 232 BC) and Dharan Guptas (320 AD - 515) as "Kshatriyas". Regarding the Mauryas, Dehiya states "Another indication of the foreign origin of these people is . . . The Vishnu Purana calls them Sudras. The Markandeya Purana brands the Mauryas as Asura. The Yuga Purana called them `utterly irreligious, though posing as religious'. The Mudra Rakshasa calls these people as Mlecchas and Chandragupta himself is called 'Kulahina', an upstart of unknown family".


== List of known governors ==
It has also been suggested that this Scythic influence was occasioned by the immigration of Iranic Scyhtians fleeing the Greek conquest. Be that as it may, the fact remains that the main civilizing impetus behind the Mauryan empire was Scythic. Dateless revisionist Brahmanist monkey tales with reincarnating imaginary devtas may lie BUT inscriptions/coins texts do not - unless read by crooked and bigoted Brahmin and Bania historians like Majumdar and Bhevelkar turning "Jarta" (Sanskrit for "Jata") into "Guptas" and "Gartas" into "Guha" (cave)! Only unbiased non-Brahminist research can help uncover the true past of the Scythians of India.
* ] (240–271)
* ] (271-274)
* ] (274–283)
* ] (283–293)
* ] (early 4th-century)
* ] (???–457)
* Unnamed ] aristocrat (459/60-???)
* ] (???-484)
* ] (under ])
* ] (early 7th-century)
* ] (???–650/1)


==References==
Gupta Some historians also feel that the Guptas were of Scythic origin. The term "Gupta" in this theory is considered a misnamed version of "Jarta" found in early texts and inscriptions by modern pro-Brahmanist historians (e.g. Majumdar, Belvelkar, Satavalekar). "Jarta" is thus thought to be the Sanskritized form of "Jat" as other Saka tribal names such as "Gujar" become "Gurjara" and "Munda" become "Marunda". Gupta is derived from "Goptri" meaning "military governor" as in the inscription of Skandagupta (Dehiya, p 176). It was not a surname or clan name but a title. P. L. Gupta writes "The most common gold coins of the Guptas appear to be the direct descendants of the gold coins of the later Kushans . . .". He adds that the standing pose of the Gupta kings at the altar is almost identical to that of the Kushan kings, as is their dress - Kushan long coats and trousers (uchkin, salwar/kameez). The Kushana or Kasvan tribe of the Sakas had ruled over Sakasthan (west and northwest) in the period from 1st century to 4rd century AD. The early Gupta coins are significantly called "dinar" and their weight is the same as those of westerly Kushana coins. Moreover, Alberuni (an Arab who traveled to southasia in A.D. 1030) learnt that "the Guptas were powerful but bad and the locals (in the Gangetic region) celebrated the end of their rule by starting a new era" (Dehiya, p. 190). This again supports the Scythian origin of the Guptas: the end of the Saka empire in the eastern subcontinent was a cause of celebration to the gangetic Brahmins. Regarding the Guptas, Dehiya states "The coins of SamudraGupta, Chandragupta I, Kacha, Chandragupta II Vikramaditya, Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta, etc. all have the central asian long coat and trousers and boots and long swords. This is the most significant fact proving that the Guptas were in fact central asian Jats (a Saka tribe; derived from Getae) . . . ". However, the fact that the Guptas were responsible for the rise of Vaishnavism and the revival of Brahmanism goes against their purported Scythic origin. The features described above may be explained in terms of their adoption of certain Saka customs as they conquered Sakastan. In conclusion, most historians consider the Guptas to be neo-Brahminist. With their advent began the slide of India into casteism and the dark ages which immediately preceded the Islamist Liberation.
{{reflist|30em}}


==External Links == ==Sources==
*{{cite book|last1=Greatrex|first1=Geoffrey|last2=Lieu|first2=Samuel N. C.|title=The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD)|location=New York, New York and London, United Kingdom|publisher=Routledge (Taylor & Francis)|year=2002|isbn=0-415-14687-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zc8iAQAAIAAJ}}
*
*{{cite book|last=Pourshariati|first=Parvaneh|title=Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran|location=London and New York|publisher=I.B. Tauris|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84511-645-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-xtAAAAMAAJ}}
*
* {{cite book | title = The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs | year = 1975 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge | last = Zarrinkub | first = Abd al-Husain | chapter = The Arab conquest of Iran and its aftermath | pages = 1–57 | isbn = 978-0-521-20093-6 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hvx9jq_2L3EC}}
*
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = ʿARAB ii. Arab conquest of Iran | last = Morony | first = M. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/arab-ii | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 2 | pages = 203–210 | year = 1986 }}
* {{ODLA|last=Potts|first=Daniel|title=Sagastan|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-4153?rskey=9TAfnp&result=6}}
*{{cite book|last=Christensen|first=Peter|title=The Decline of Iranshahr: Irrigation and Environments in the History of the Middle East, 500 B.C. to A.D. 1500|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press|year=1993|isbn=9788772892597|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ebB_ac13v3UC&q=false|pages= 1–351}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | last = Shapur Shahbazi | first = A. | title = SASANIAN DYNASTY | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sasanian-dynasty | year = 2005 | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition | access-date = 3 April 2014}}
* {{cite book | title = The History of Ancient Iran | year = 1984 | publisher = C.H.Beck | last = Frye | first = Richard Nelson | author-link = Richard Nelson Frye | pages = –411 | isbn = 9783406093975 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofancient0000frye| url-access = registration | quote = The history of ancient iran. }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = DRANGIANA | last = Schmitt | first = R. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/drangiana | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 5 | pages = 534–537 | year = 1995 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = Sīstān | first = Clifford Edmund | last = Bosworth | encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume IX: San–Sze | location=Leiden, and New York | publisher=BRILL | year=1997 | isbn=9789004082656 | pages = 681–685 | url =http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/sistan-SIM_5452?s.num=247&s.rows=100&s.start=180 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Sistani Cycle of Epics and Iran's National History: On the Margins of Historiography | year = 2015 | publisher = BRILL | last = Gazerani| first = Saghi | pages = 1–250 | isbn = 9789004282964 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=92zsCgAAQBAJ&q=false}}
* {{Cambridge History of Iran|volume=3b | last = Brunner | first = Christopher | authorlink = | chapter = Geographical and Administrative divisions: Settlements and Economy| pages=747–778}}


{{Sassanid Provinces}}
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Latest revision as of 16:24, 24 March 2024

Province of the Sasanian Empire
SakastanSagistān
Province of the Sasanian Empire
c. 240–650/1

Map of the southeastern provinces of the Sasanian Empire.
CapitalZrang
Historical eraLate Antiquity
• Established c. 240
• Annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate 650/1
Preceded by Succeeded by
Indo-Parthians
Rashidun Caliphate
Today part ofAfghanistan
Iran

Sakastan (also known as Sagestān, Sagistan, Seyanish, Segistan, Sistan, and Sijistan) was a Sasanian province in Late Antiquity, that lay within the kust of Nemroz. The province bordered Kirman in the west, Spahan in the north west, Kushanshahr in the north east, and Turan in the south east. The governor of the province held the title of marzban. The governor also held the title of "Sakanshah" (king of the Saka) until the title was abolished in ca. 459/60.

Etymology

The word "Sakastan" means "the land of the Saka", a Scythian group which from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century migrated to the Iranian Plateau and India, where they carved a kingdom known as the Indo-Scythian Kingdom. In the Bundahishn, a Zoroastrian scripture written in Pahlavi, the province is written as "Seyansih". After the Arab conquest of Iran, the province became known as "Sijistan" and later as "Sistan", which still remains a province to this day in Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan Province).

History

The province was formed in ca. 240, during the reign of Shapur I (r. 240–270), as part of his intention to centralise his empire - before that, the province was under the rule of the Parthian Suren Kingdom, whose ruler Ardashir Sakanshah became a Sasanian vassal during the reign of Shapur's father Ardashir I (r. 224–242), who also had the ancient city Zrang rebuilt, which became the capital of the province.

Coinage of Narseh (Narsē). AD 293-303. Sakastan mint.

Shapur's son Narseh was the first to be appointed as the governor of the province, which he would govern until 271, when the Sasanian prince Hormizd was appointed as the new governor.

Later in ca. 281, Hormizd revolted against his cousin Bahram II (r. 274–293). During the revolt, the people of Sakastan was one of his supporters. Nevertheless, Bahram II managed to suppress the revolt in 283, and appointed his son Bahram III as the governor of the province. During the early reign of Shapur II (r. 309-379), he appointed his brother Shapur Sakanshah as the governor of Sakastan. Peroz I (r. 459–484), during his early reign, put an end to dynastic rule in province by appointing a Karenid as its governor. The reason behind the appointment was to avoid further family conflict in the province, and in order to gain more direct control of the province.

Silver coin of Yazdegerd III, struck in Sakastan, dated 651

During the Muslim conquest of Persia, the last Sasanian king Yazdegerd III fled to Sakastan in the mid-640s, where its governor Aparviz (who was more or less independent), helped him. However, Yazdegerd III quickly lost this support when he demanded tax money that Aparviz had failed to pay.

Arab conquest

In 650/1, Abd-Allah ibn Amir, who had recently conquered Kirman, sent Rabi ibn Ziyad Harithi to an expedition in Sakastan. After some time, he reached Zaliq, a border town between Kirman and Sakastan, where he forced the dehqan of the town to acknowledge Rashidun authority. He then did the same at the fortress of Karkuya, which had a famous fire temple, which is mentioned in the Tarikh-i Sistan.

He then continued to seize more land in the province. He thereafter besieged Zrang, and after a heavy battle outside the city, Aparviz and his men surrendered. When Aparviz went to Rabi to discuss about the conditions of a treaty, he saw that he was using the bodies of two dead soldiers as a chair. This horrified Aparviz, who in order to spare the inhabitants of Sakastan from the Arabs, made peace with the Arabs in return for heavy tribute, which included a tribute of 1,000 slave boys bearing 1,000 golden vessels. Sakastan was thus under the control of the Rashidun Caliphate.

Population and religion

During the Achaemenid period, Sakastan (then known as Drangiana), was populated by a Persianized east Iranian group known as the Drangians. From the 2nd century BC to the 1st century, Sakastan saw a huge influx of Saka tribesmen and also some Parthians, which, in the words of Brunner, "reshaped the region's older population pattern".

The inhabitants of Sakastan were mainly Zoroastrian, while a minority of them were Nestorian Christians.

House of Suren

The House of Suren, a Parthian noble family that served the Parthian and later the Sasanian Empire, was part of the seven Parthian clans of the Sasanian Empire—each family owned land in different parts of the empire, the Surens owning land in parts of Sakastan.

Mint

Under Shapur II, a Sasanian mint was established in Sakastan (mint-mark: SKSTN, S, SK). From the first reign of Kavad I (r. 488–496) onwards, this mint was located at the provincial capital Zrang (mint-mark: ZR, ZRN, ZRNG).

List of known governors

References

  1. Frye 1984, p. 193.
  2. ^ Bosworth 1997, pp. 681–685.
  3. Brunner 1983, p. 750.
  4. ^ Christensen 1993, p. 229.
  5. Pourshariati 2008, p. 222.
  6. ^ Morony 1986, pp. 203–210.
  7. ^ Zarrinkub 1975, p. 24.
  8. Schmitt 1995, pp. 534–537.
  9. Brunner 1983, pp. 326–336, 337–344.
  10. Brunner 1983, p. 773.
  11. Brunner 1983, p. 705.
  12. Potts 2018, p. 1319.

Sources

Provinces of the Sasanian Empire
Extent of the Sasanian Empire
* indicates short living provinces

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