Ziyarid dynasty

The Ziyarid dynasty was an Iranian dynasty of Gilaki origin founded by Mardavij ibn Ziyar, which ruled Tabaristan and Gurgan on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. After Mardavij's brief conquest of much of western Iran, his successors were confined to the Caspian provinces, where they contended with the Buyids and Samanids and later became vassals of the Ghaznavids and Seljuks. Its best-known ruler was the patron and writer Qabus.