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'''Ayyār''', ({{lang-ar|عيار|ʿayyār}}, pl. ''ʿayyārūn''; {{lang-fa|عیار|Ayyâr}}, pl. ''Ayyârân'') refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond.<ref>{{The History of al-Tabari | volume = 35| page = 66}}</ref><ref>{{The History of al-Tabari | volume = 40 | page = xviii}}</ref><ref> Hasan-i-Sabbah: His Life and Thought, page 34</ref><ref> The Institute of Ismaili Studies</ref><ref name=EI2>{{EI2 | volume = 1 | title = ʿAyyār | last = Taeschner | first = F. | page = 794 | url = http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0927}}</ref> Ayyars were associated with ], or medieval Islamic organizations located in cities. | ||
| ==Emergence== | ==Emergence== | ||
| 'Ayyarun are believed to predate Islam, since they are said to have distinct Iranian customs, and they were active in regions corresponding to the territories of the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=ʿAYYĀR – Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ayyar |website=www.iranicaonline.org |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> However, most of the writing about them centers on their activities in Baghdad from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Baghdad was ruled by the ] (945–1055) back then, and was a very lawless city, caused by fighting between ] and ]. They did many terrible things such as extorting taxes on roads and markets, burning wealthy quarters and markets, and looting the homes of the rich by night. For several years (1028–33), ] and ], leaders of the 'ayyarun, ruled the city due to governmental instability. | 'Ayyarun are believed to predate Islam, since they are said to have distinct Iranian customs, and they were active in regions corresponding to the territories of the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=ʿAYYĀR – Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ayyar |website=www.iranicaonline.org |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> However, most of the writing about them centers on their activities in Baghdad from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Baghdad was ruled by the ] (945–1055) back then, and was a very lawless city, caused by fighting between ] and ]. They did many terrible things such as extorting taxes on roads and markets, burning wealthy quarters and markets, and looting the homes of the rich by night. For several years (1028–33), ] and ], leaders of the 'ayyarun, ruled the city due to governmental instability. | ||
| ==Reputation== | ==Reputation== | ||
Revision as of 18:48, 30 January 2021
Member of a historical warrior group in the region of Iran
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Ayyār, (Template:Lang-ar, pl. ʿayyārūn; Template:Lang-fa, pl. Ayyârân) refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond. Ayyars were associated with futuwwa, or medieval Islamic organizations located in cities.
Emergence
'Ayyarun are believed to predate Islam, since they are said to have distinct Iranian customs, and they were active in regions corresponding to the territories of the Sasanian Empire. However, most of the writing about them centers on their activities in Baghdad from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Baghdad was ruled by the Buyids (945–1055) back then, and was a very lawless city, caused by fighting between Sunnis and Shi'ites. They did many terrible things such as extorting taxes on roads and markets, burning wealthy quarters and markets, and looting the homes of the rich by night. For several years (1028–33), al-Burjumi and Ibn al-Mawsili, leaders of the 'ayyarun, ruled the city due to governmental instability.
Reputation
The 'ayyarun have been commonly called fighters, though these activities are highlighted during times of weak government and civil war, when their role as a military force most likely made them fight on multiple sides, angering many. During times of more stable government, their lawful activities decreased, and when the Seljuqs ruled in the 12th century, their activities almost ceased. The 'ayyarun also made war against much of Turks in reaction to social injustices.
Regional influence
Outside Baghdad, the 'ayyarun were closely allied with the middle class, and helped maintain the current order. The Saffarids (861-1003) of eastern Iran were in fact an 'ayyarun dynasty. They are thought by some historians to have contributed to the weakening of Baghdad, clearing the way for the horrific destruction of the city by the Mongols.
See also
References
- Saliba, George, ed. (1985). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXXV: The Crisis of the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate: The Caliphates of al-Mustaʿīn and al-Muʿtazz, A.D. 862–869/A.H. 248–255. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-87395-883-7.
- Popovkin, Alex V., ed. (2007). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XL: Index. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. xviii. ISBN 978-0-7914-7251-4.
- Hasan-i-Sabbah: His Life and Thought, page 34
- The Institute of Ismaili Studies
- Taeschner, F. (1960). "ʿAyyār". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 794. OCLC 495469456.
- "ʿAYYĀR – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- AYYĀR, Encyclopædia Iranica