Person

Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar

840–879 · 9th century

Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar was the founder of the Saffarid dynasty in Sistan in eastern Iran. A coppersmith turned leader of local volunteer fighters, he seized Zaranj in 861 and conquered much of Iran and Afghanistan, overthrowing the Tahirids at Nishapur in 873. His march on Baghdad was defeated by the Abbasids in 876, and he died in 879.

Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar
Image: Sotheby's · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

ZunbilsTahirid dynastySaffarid dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yaqub-ibn-al-layth-al-saffar
MLA
“Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yaqub-ibn-al-layth-al-saffar. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yaqub-ibn-al-layth-al-saffar.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yaqub-ibn-al-layth-al-saffar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻